New Competitor to Craigslist Rejects Ads for “prostitution services and other questionable listings”

ColoradoBiz Magazine reports that SoCoAds.com is taking aim at Craigslist in southern Colorado. The new venture is backed by 12 broadcast stations and the Colorado Springs Independent. Categories of classified ads include vehicles, real estate, employment, rentals, merchandise, services and entertainment. Most ads are free. Notable categories that are excluded are “prostitution services and other questionable listings”.


See also:

New York Times: “As Prostitutes Turn to Craigslist, Law Takes Notice”
On one recent day…some 9,000 listings were added to the site’s “Erotic Services” category in the New York region alone: Most offered massage and escorts, often hinting at more…

Ad posted on 9/9/07 to Western Mass Craigslist, Erotic Services category:
Hot Phone Sex OR Meet Horney Women Seeking Erotic Encounters – w4m
“Seeking Guys For Discreet Affairs – Casual Dating – Phone Sex – One Night Stands”

Children for Sale on Craigslist
…a significant percentage of these ads on Craigslist do not advertise solely “legal escort services” as Craigslist may like to believe. Instead, a considerable percentage of the ads are a thinly veiled guise for one of the many faces of human trafficking that exists here in the United States…

Craigslist: How to Report Exploitation of Minors

“New York Press No Longer Marketing Arm for Prostitution/Trafficking”
New York, New York – Under the new ownership of Manhattan Media, New York Press, a weekly publication, will be free of ads that advertise illegal massage parlors and blatant ads promoting prostitution. Manhattan Media initially will take a financial hit by dropping sex ads that have made up a sizable percentage of New York Press sales, but the long-term growth prospects for this widely-circulated newspaper dramatically increase as it is remade into a reputable publication.

Ask the Valley Advocate to Stop Profiting from the Sexual Exploitation of Women
In the back pages of the Advocate, and on their websites, you will find ads like the following…

HOT COLLEGE Co-eds Rule Summer! School’s Out, Clothes Off, SEXY Co-eds NAKED! 413-244-xxxx…

“EXOTIC HEAT” At Your Service! Cum See The Summer Sizzlin Special 413-657-xxxx…

“EXOTIC ENT.” Sexy Prof. Discreet 20 minute Specials! Cum See The End of Summer Specials 413-657-xxxx…

NOTHING LIKE YOUR GIRLFRIEND Slim, pretty, 25, smart & *wild* 413-695-xxxx…

Personal Assistant Hiring attractive female 18-30 for back rubs, oral and more. Call anytime 413-233-xxxx
Prostitution: Factsheet on Human Rights Violations