Craigslist Shuts Down Personals Ads in United States

Forget about finding the love on your life, missed connection or fantasy hookup from the casual encounters section on Craigslist. Craigslist shut down the personals ads section of the site after new laws have passed in the United States. The new bill, called the Allow States and Victims to Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act (FOSTA), could put Craigslist in the crosshairs if they are caught allowing illegal personal ads. The bill states that websites can now be punished for “facilitating” prostitution and sex trafficking. In a statement, Craigslist said the new law would “subject websites to criminal and civil liability when third parties (users) misuse online personals unlawfully”.

It should be noted that the personals section has only been shut down for US cities, and not for pages for cities in other countries. Reddit also banned its escorts message board on Thursday.