This time it’s personal ads

Pols kill romance on C’s list

Craigslist has yanked its personal-ads section in the wake of a bill targeting online sex trafficking that passed in Congress this week.

The Allow States and Victims to Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act, or FOSTA, would make online sites criminally liable for userposted content, including prostitution ads and sex-trafficking info.

Craigslist — whose personals section includes categories such as “casual encounters” — said it pulled the ads because it wasn’t worth running afoul of the new law.

“Any tool or service can be misused,” the site said in a statement. “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.”

It added, “To the millions of spouses, partners, and couples who met through Craigslist, we wish you every happiness!”

Reddit also banned sex-worker categories, including Escorts, Male Escorts, Hookers and SugarDaddy, shortly after the bill was passed.

The popular classified-advertising site updated its policy, saying users could not “solicit or facilitate any transaction or gift involving certain goods and services” like firearms, drugs, “paid services involving physical sexual contact,” stolen goods and others.

Previously, classified-ad sites like Craigslist and Backpage faced broad protections from legal liability for user-posted content.

FOSTA has been criticized by some lawmakers as making it harder to combat sex trafficking.

“The failure to understand the technological side effects of this bill — specifically that it will become harder to expose sex traffickers, while hamstringing innovation — will be something that this Congress will regret,” Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) told CNN earlier this month.

Sex workers have also spoken out against FOSTA, saying the bill puts them more at risk.

“This bill claims to target human trafficking, but does so by creating new penalties for online platforms that are overwhelmingly used by consensual, adult sex workers to screen clients, to share ‘bad date lists,’ to work indoors, and to otherwise communicate with each other about ways to stay alive,” adult actress Lorelei Lee wrote on Instagram.

Wyden and Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) voted against FOSTA, which passed 97-2 in the Senate on Wednesday. It passed in the House by 388-25. It has yet to be signed by President Trump.

Supporters say the bill closes a loophole that allows companies to legally advertise sex workers.