# Cragislist shuts down its personals section
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cragislist-shuts-down-its-personals-section/811072
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion
**Created:** [March 23, 2018, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cragislist-shuts-down-its-personals-section/811072 "2018-03-23T14:46:34Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@split\_p\_j](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/split_p_j)
#### Post date: [March 23, 2018, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cragislist-shuts-down-its-personals-section/811072/1 "2018-03-23T14:46:34Z")
[Here](https://gizmodo.com/craigslist-is-shutting-down-its-personals-section-1824011480) due to the passage of H.R.1865.
So consenting adults can no longer meet through these ads, but you can still have all the guns you want.
Nothing being done on that front. This country is just so f-ed up.
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### Author:  [@x-ray\_vision](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/x-ray_vision)
#### Post date: [March 23, 2018, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cragislist-shuts-down-its-personals-section/811072/2 "2018-03-23T15:11:16Z")
> [@split\_p\_j](#):
>
> So consenting adults can no longer meet through these ads
Nothing has changed due to that bill regarding who can and can’t meet through personal ads. You can no longer meet through Craigslist because they decided to take their personals section offline.
There are plenty of dating sites that do a great job of taking down scammers, and I doubt that they’re going to shut down because of this bill. Craigslist personal ads were mostly obvious scammers or solicitors of sex for money, because they didn’t do such a great job at taking them down, and that drove legitimate people seeking relationships or unpaid for sex to other online venues.
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### Author:  [@split\_p\_j](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/split_p_j)
#### Post date: [March 23, 2018, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cragislist-shuts-down-its-personals-section/811072/3 "2018-03-23T17:13:57Z")
Spare me your moral superiority. Even if I take what you said about the ads being scams or sex for money to be true, so what?
The point is that the bill would make the owners of Craigslist and other such websites responsible for what a third party does.
It’s kind of like holding the gun manufactures responsible when third parties misuse their product. Except of course, according to the Republicans and the NRA, you can’t do that. That would be impinging on our freedom.
This country is so f-ed up. Guns for everyone including kids is not a problem, but anything that may have to do with sex must be controlled, even if it’s among consenting adults.
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### Author:  [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)
#### Post date: [March 23, 2018, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cragislist-shuts-down-its-personals-section/811072/4 "2018-03-23T17:19:49Z")
It’s hard to take you seriously when it seems you think Craigslist personal ads shutting down is a perfect jump off for a gun control discussion.
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### Author:  [@x-ray\_vision](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/x-ray_vision)
#### Post date: [March 23, 2018, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cragislist-shuts-down-its-personals-section/811072/5 "2018-03-23T17:40:18Z")
> [@split\_p\_j](#):
>
> Spare me your moral superiority.
What moral judgement did I make?
> [@](#):
>
> Even if I take what you said about the ads being scams or sex for money to be true, so what?
Yeah, who cares about scammers- they’ve got a right to make a living too! So do those soliciting prostitution, even if it is against the law!
It helped to make Craigslist personals a place that was no longer for legal activities. Because it drove those looking for a date/relationship/sex without money transactions, it became a haven for scams and illegal activity such as sex trafficking.
> **[Craigslist's shame: Child sex ads - CNN.com](http://www.cnn.com/2010/OPINION/08/02/saar.craigslist.child.trafficking/index.html)**
>
> Last month, two girls trafficked for sex through the website Craigslist wrote an open letter to its founder, Craig Newmark, pleading with him to get rid of the adult services section, where sex ads are placed.
> **['Craigslist: Site for Sex Slaves' Story Saves Girl's Life](https://abcnews.go.com/WN/popular-website-craigslist-outlet-sex-trafficking-child-exploitation/story?id=11367581)**
>
> Craigslist, the popular online community site with millions of American users, may be creating an outlet for pimps to sexually exploit children.
> [@](#):
>
> The point is that the bill would make the owners of Craigslist and other such websites responsible for what a third party does.
Under what conditions would the websites be responsible? Have you read the bill?
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### Author:  [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)
#### Post date: [March 23, 2018, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cragislist-shuts-down-its-personals-section/811072/6 "2018-03-23T18:20:36Z")
Way to poison the well. Meanwhile Reddit is shutting down pages that merely point to deals for legal retailers of firearm-related trade, and the legal trade of beer, while allowing subreddits with drug trade and people trading sex without the explicit mention of money to exist.
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### Author:  [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)
#### Post date: [March 23, 2018, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cragislist-shuts-down-its-personals-section/811072/7 "2018-03-23T19:01:30Z")
> [@x-ray\_vision](#):
>
> Nothing has changed due to that bill regarding who can and can’t meet through personal ads. You can no longer meet through Craigslist because they decided to take their personals section offline.
This is the message that pops up when you click on personals in CL:
-
US Congress just passed HR 1865, “FOSTA”, seeking to subject websites to criminal and civil liability when third parties (users) misuse online personals unlawfully.
Any tool or service can be misused. We can’t take such risk without jeopardizing all our other services, so we are regretfully taking craigslist personals offline. Hopefully we can bring them back some day.
To the millions of spouses, partners, and couples who met through craigslist, we wish you every happiness!\*
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### Author:  [@x-ray\_vision](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/x-ray_vision)
#### Post date: [March 23, 2018, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cragislist-shuts-down-its-personals-section/811072/8 "2018-03-23T19:13:58Z")
^ Did you post that as just an FYI, or do you think it’s relevant to something I wrote?
I don’t believe that there isn’t more to the passed bill thab Craigslist is making it appear and I’m posting on my phone right now while traveling, so I’m not going to take a good look at it.
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### Author:  [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)
#### Post date: [March 23, 2018, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cragislist-shuts-down-its-personals-section/811072/9 "2018-03-23T19:28:09Z")
> [@x-ray\_vision](#):
>
> ^ Did you post that as just an FYI, or do you think it’s relevant to something I wrote?
>
> I don’t believe that there isn’t more to the passed bill thab Craigslist is making it appear and I’m posting on my phone right now while traveling, so I’m not going to take a good look at it.
You mad the statement: “Nothing has changed due to the bill” CL seems to think otherwise.
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### Author:  [@Lamoral](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamoral)
#### Post date: [March 23, 2018, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cragislist-shuts-down-its-personals-section/811072/10 "2018-03-23T19:54:16Z")
I was under the impression that you _cannot_ buy or sell guns on Craigslist to begin with.
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### Author:  [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)
#### Post date: [March 23, 2018, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cragislist-shuts-down-its-personals-section/811072/11 "2018-03-23T20:04:02Z")
> [@Grrr](#):
>
> You mad the statement: “Nothing has changed due to the bill” CL seems to think otherwise.
And CL can be absolutely trusted never to make a self-serving or disingenuous post about its business.
Read the 2nd paragraph of \*\*x-ray vision’s \*\*post that you quoted part of. CL made little or no effort to clean up their personals section, and so legitimate posters went elsewhere. Are you challenging that point?
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### Author:  [@Textual\_Innuendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Textual_Innuendo)
#### Post date: [March 23, 2018, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cragislist-shuts-down-its-personals-section/811072/12 "2018-03-23T20:06:36Z")
It is sad - I’ve personally found at least two long term relationships through CL personals ads, and used it extensively for dating many years ago.
CL was vastly preferable to “traditional” dating sites like Match or e-Harmony or whatever, because you could find less mainstream, more interesting people there. But now by legislative fiat, we are no longer able to use one of the largest sites on the internet to meet each other…bravo, Congress.
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### Author:  [@x-ray\_vision](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/x-ray_vision)
#### Post date: [March 23, 2018, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cragislist-shuts-down-its-personals-section/811072/13 "2018-03-23T20:06:58Z")
> [@Grrr](#):
>
> You mad the statement: “Nothing has changed due to the bill” CL seems to think otherwise.
Why would you cut what I said short when the very next word I wrote was “regarding”? The purpose of bills are to change things. No one would make the statement you just attributed to me.
The rest of my sentence is “regarding who can and can’t meet through personal ads.”
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### Author:  [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)
#### Post date: [March 23, 2018, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cragislist-shuts-down-its-personals-section/811072/14 "2018-03-23T20:09:10Z")
> [@Roderick\_Femm](#):
>
> And CL can be absolutely trusted never to make a self-serving or disingenuous post about its business.
>
> Read the 2nd paragraph of \*\*x-ray vision’s \*\*post that you quoted part of. CL made little or no effort to clean up their personals section, and so legitimate posters went elsewhere. Are you challenging that point?
I can only challenge it from my own personal experience. About every third ad you click on, a message pops up that this post has been flagged for removal. Being a Mod on that site must be a total nightmare.
Saying they made little or no effort is blatantly false.
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### Author:  [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)
#### Post date: [March 23, 2018, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cragislist-shuts-down-its-personals-section/811072/15 "2018-03-23T20:14:47Z")
> [@x-ray\_vision](#):
>
> Why would you cut what I said short when the very next word I wrote was “regarding”? The purpose of bills are to change things. No one would make the statement you just attributed to me.
>
> The rest of my sentence is “regarding who can and can’t meet through personal ads.”
Look, I don’t want to get caught up in semantics, but what you said is untrue. I get thje point you are trying to make: There are still plenty of other options people can use.
I get it, and that’s true… For now anyways. But I’m not particularly fond of this slippery slope.
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### Author:  [@Jennshark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jennshark)
#### Post date: [March 23, 2018, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cragislist-shuts-down-its-personals-section/811072/16 "2018-03-23T20:21:25Z")
I found two incredibly great lovers on CL (okay, they are cars, but still . . . )
Posting a car for sale on CL is a horrendous experience. I tried it twice then gave up when I was assailed by Scammy McScammer responses. I will never list another car on CL (even though I have _bought_ cars from nice folks on the site).
I’m actually rather surprised that people still post and respond to personal ads on CL, given all the horror stories. But people make their own decisions, and if meeting Lover69cumbukkakebronyfuckboi in the woods behind the 7-11 at 2am floats your boat, then go for it. It ain’t CL’s problem if someone finds your parts in a rusted-out barrel.
And why does their site still look like a shitty 1998 high school computer science project?
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### Author:  [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)
#### Post date: [March 23, 2018, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cragislist-shuts-down-its-personals-section/811072/17 "2018-03-23T20:23:21Z")
> [@Textual\_Innuendo](#):
>
> It is sad - I’ve personally found at least two long term relationships through CL personals ads, and used it extensively for dating many years ago.
>
> CL was vastly preferable to “traditional” dating sites like Match or e-Harmony or whatever, because you could find less mainstream, more interesting people there. But now by legislative fiat, we are no longer able to use one of the largest sites on the internet to meet each other…bravo, Congress.
Except that was many years ago.
Craigslist personals, in the early days of the internet, was a legit way to date online.
It hasn’t been that way for many many years. It lost most of its legit patrons for dedicated dating sites. And once the proportion of spammers and scammers reached a tipping point, it wasn’t possible to use it as a legit dating site, which meant that the remaining legit daters abandoned it, turning it to 99.999% spammers and scammers.
The legislation didn’t do that. Craigslist personals hasn’t been legit for years and years. Craigslist took a look at the legislation, noticed that their personals section was nothing but scammers and spammers, and decided there wasn’t any point keeping it going.
Online dating still exists, Grindr still exists, Fetlife still exists. You can still meet your less mainstream people, you just can’t do it on Craigslist anymore. But you couldn’t do it on Craigslist yesterday either, because nobody who honestly wanted to meet up with fellow interesting people would use it. If nobody legit uses it, then nobody else who’s legit would try to use it. You wanna online date, you gotta go where the other online daters are, not wade through 9999 spammers and scammers to find one legit person.
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### Author:  [@split\_p\_j](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/split_p_j)
#### Post date: [March 23, 2018, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cragislist-shuts-down-its-personals-section/811072/18 "2018-03-23T20:48:34Z")
> [@CarnalK](#):
>
> It’s hard to take you seriously when it seems you think Craigslist personal ads shutting down is a perfect jump off for a gun control discussion.
The issue is the bill could hold them responsible for the actions of a third party. They didn’t want to take a chance and shut it down.
I think it’s quite relevant to the gun control debate considering people have been calling for the gun manufactures to be able to be held responsible for the actions of a third party for years.
Just because you don’t think Craigslist is a legit dating site doesn’t make it so.
It’s just more authoritarian B.S. in a country that is supposed to be free.
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### Author:  [@x-ray\_vision](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/x-ray_vision)
#### Post date: [March 23, 2018, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cragislist-shuts-down-its-personals-section/811072/19 "2018-03-23T20:58:41Z")
> [@Grrr](#):
>
> Look, I don’t want to get caught up in semantics, but what you said is untrue.
What I said is true. The bill has not changed who can and can’t meet through personal ads. Tell me what’s false about my statement.
“Look, I don’t want to get caught up in semantics”? You misquoted me in such a way that it made it seem like I said totally different than I did, and then tried to prove me wrong based on it. Was I not supposed to call you on that? Cutting a quote short like that and then refusing to cop to it by pretending it’s a semantics issue that you don’t want to get caught up in is a wee bit lame.
> [@](#):
>
> I get thje point you are trying to make: There are still plenty of other options people can use.
I didn’t try to make that point.
> [@](#):
>
> I get it, and that’s true… For now anyways. But I’m not particularly fond of this slippery slope.
I’m guessing that’s for Roderick. You couldn’t have changed your mind that quickly.
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### Author:  [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)
#### Post date: [March 23, 2018, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cragislist-shuts-down-its-personals-section/811072/20 "2018-03-23T21:11:48Z")
> [@x-ray\_vision](#):
>
> What I said is true. The bill has not changed who can and can’t meet through personal ads. Tell me what’s false about my statement.
>
> “Look, I don’t want to get caught up in semantics”? You misquoted me in such a way that it made it seem like I said totally different than I did, and then tried to prove me wrong based on it. Was I not supposed to call you on that? Cutting a quote short like that and then refusing to cop to it by pretending it’s a semantics issue that you don’t want to get caught up in is a wee bit lame.
>
> I didn’t try to make that point.
> I’m guessing that’s for Roderick. You couldn’t have changed your mind that quickly.
It’s changed the fact that you can no longer go to CL for personals. Thus making your statement untrue.
And if your point wasn’t that there are still other venues for people looking to connect, I’m not sure what point you’re trying to make.
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