In the September 5th edition of the New York Times, I read a story entitled “Craigslist Emerges as Resource for Both Prostitutes and Police.” My first reaction to this story was that some criminals can be so stupid. I mean these people know they are breaking the law by either purchasing sex or selling it, but they do it in a public forum like Craigslist. Of course the police are going to catch them. The people using this site and listing ads under “Erotic Services” are just asking the police to catch them. I would think that some of these people would be smarter and try to hide their misdeeds, but they put it out in the openness of cyberspace.
Another thing that surprised me was the fact that Craigslist even has a category entitled “Erotic Services.” It just sounds like that Craigslist is a willing co-conspirator by allowing this category to have ads. If people want a massage, there should be another category where they can look for a normal body treatment. I think that by making a category available called “Erotic Services,” Craigslist is asking people to put up ads for prostitution.
I must applaud law enforcement for finally using the internet as a tool to catch criminals. They respond to the ads in order to net the prostitutes. They also establish decoy ads on Craigslist to catch would-be customers. As we discuss in class, the world is experiencing a phenomenon called “Digital Democracy.” Everything in the world—from sports to sex, from politics to prostitution, and everything in between—can now be found on the internet. The numbers listed in the article about arrests are just astounding. It is much easier to catch the people on the internet than to drive the streets at night looking for the prostitutes and their eager customers.
It was not only the numbers that gave me a shock, it was the people involved in some of the arrests. A surgeon, bank officer, fire fighter, and even a teacher were arrested for soliciting the services of a decoy prostitute on Craigslist. The fact that a teacher would be looking for a prostitute really turns my stomach. I think it is so important that schools do their best to be sure that teachers like this are not in our nation’s schools.
I think it is such a shame that a great tool such as the internet is being manipulated like this. Craigslist is such a great way to find goods, services, jobs, and a lot of other things that are being sold. I have even used Craigslist to look for Penn State tickets. Although I did not buy them from anyone on the site, I was able to confirm that I did get a good price for the ones I did end up buying. The site is a very useful tool, and that is why I think it is so horrible that it is being used to buy and sell sex. American society is definitely taking a turn for the worst in terms of its morals.
So what am I asking people to do? Well, I definitely commend law enforcement and hope they keep up the good work. People are given a right to privacy by the Constitution, but when they break the law, I believe they lose that right to privacy. I of course ask all the offenders to stop and rethink what they are doing. Not only is it against the law, it is just plain stupid to be committing crimes on an open forum like Craigslist. As for Craigslist, it is my wish that they stop promoting this illegal sexual activity. Although they claim they are not responsible, it would be nice to see them get rid of a category that begs for sexual ads to be posted. I am asking them to get rid of the “Erotic Services” category. Morally, I think America is heading in the wrong direction. Unfortunately, this article confirms my thinking.