If you havn't already noticed, Craigslist is requesting phone verification for placing ads. Craigslist’s newly implemented ban on advertisements for adult services does not mean such online classifieds have vanished from the Internet.
Many sites, including Peachmate.com, an NSA social community, and other online version of Sex dating communities, continue to feature ads that appear to promise sex for all who are interested. An added bonus to Peachmate.com is the fact that the are totally free!
Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley has said she plans to hold public hearings on how to address the issue, but Internet specialists say it will be difficult for law enforcement officials to curb illegal activities online.
“There’s going to be a game of Whac-a-Mole to try to achieve this goal through censorship — information will keep popping up online,’’ said John Palfrey, codirector of the Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard Law School. “Strategically, you have to go to the root causes, and not just focus on the intermediaries, like the Phoenix or Craigslist, but directly on the wrongdoers.’’
Last week, the popular classified website Craigslist replaced its link to adult services ads with a black bar marked “censored,’’ but offered no explanation for the move. The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment yesterday.
Palfrey and others said the change appeared to be the result of pressure from 17 attorneys general, including Coakley, who last month sent a letter to the company asking it to close its adult section.
Lately Craigslist has implemented a verify by phone option for placing ads in attempts to control both spam and sexual predators. the downside; most of us are reluctant to give out our phone number to link us to less favorable sexual activities. But thanks to Peachmate we can still enjoy the anonymity of online sex finding.
