Let's talk about Sex, baby....

...or maybe not. We have been watching the twists and turns of Craigslists' - ahem - "adult" classifieds for some time, and in the last week or so various Attorneys General have slapped "do not publish" stickers on. This was hardly unpredictable, they have been threatening this for some time (how about this post of ours in 2008) but of course now everyone is shocked, shocked I tell you.

Jeff Jarvis believes this is a move by an Olde Meedja Not-Quite-Conspiracy, though in my view he spoils his argument a bit by an aside on the Germans vs Google (see asterisk* at end of piece):

So why are government and media going after craigslist? The same reason, I think, that media and government in, for example, Germany are demonizing Google (even as the German people give Google its biggest market share anywhere in the world). They’re going after the disruptors, the biggest disruptors in sight.

Since craigslist and the internet have existed, newspaper classified revenue has fallen by $13 billion a year, leaving that money in the pockets of former advertiser-customers. Since Google and the internet have existed, many more billions have left traditional media as Google offered their former ad customers a better deal.

The New York Times today belittles craigslist’s censorship, calling it a “stunt” and “ploy” and labeling as “screeds” craisglist CEO Jim Buckmaster’s defenses of the service—and of free speech—against attorneys general and against ratings-starved CNN ambushing Craig.

Perish the thought that Craigslist are trying to protect $44m of their own revenue, eh Jeff

And just what has the naughty NYT said - well, they are alleging that Craigslist just might be playing the whole thing for PR, the cads, and may not really be serious about shutting it down - like they did last time (and did we mention the $44m):

Craigslist, by shutting off its “adult services” section and slapping a “censored” label in its place, may be engaging in a high-stakes stunt to influence public opinion, some analysts say.

........

Lisa Madigan, the attorney general of Illinois, was more skeptical about Craigslist’s intentions. “Certainly because of the way they did it,” she said, “it leaves an open question as to whether this is truly the end of adult services on Craigslist or if this is just a continuing battle.”

For a site that prides itself on being a neighborly town square, Craigslist has been increasingly pugnacious in response to its critics.

Jim Buckmaster, Craigslist’s chief executive, has written screeds on the company blog explaining and defending Craigslist’s efforts to combat sex crimes, including manually screening sex ads and meeting with advocacy groups.

So there you have it, gentle reader - and if it all seems a mite po faced and puffed up to you - the bloggage, I mean (The basic issue is simple - do the US citizenry want, or not want, their biggest online classifieds website to pimp pro gals, and that will be fought in court, and as the NYT points out the law is currently on craiglist's side) then I think you are right - as the great philosopher Tom Lehrer noted the last time this came round in the 1960's:

Unfortunately, the civil liberties types who are fighting this issue have to fight it owing to the nature of the laws as a matter of Freedom of Speech and stifling of free expression and so on, but we know what's really involved: dirty books [Ads] are fun. That's all there is to it. but you can't get up in a court and say that I suppose. it's simply a matter of freedom of pleasure, a right which is not guaranteed by the constitution unfortunately.

His manifesto on the subject, "Smut", is sung in the Tom Lehrer youtube vid at the top. Pretty much says all you need to know on the subject. (As he points out, in teh 1960's the Supreme Court protected the right to publish, well, smut.)

* Those naughty Germans are after Google because they were sniffing WiFi data without telling anyone, and nor are Google collaborating in removing people's data according to EU data protection law. These are things that Europeans unreasonably think might be a bit Evil (as opposed to Disruptive)

Update - I would like to say Danah Boyd has written a marvellously insightful piece on the subject, but I can't get past the issue that she calls craigslist an ISP. And its in HuffPo.