Craigslist CEO says the company should do more

After denying yesterday that Craigslist offers "sex-related" ads on its site earlier this week, Craigslist CEO Jim Buckmaster has blogged that "more must be done" by the company to eliminate illegal activity on its website.

The message comes after pressure from Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, who held a press conference yesterday to demand that the Craigslist stop hosting posts that advertise prostitution, pornography and the selling children for sex.

"Craigslist is fully engaged in pursing this goal, and has several initiatives underway that speak to the concerns addressed in Mr. Blumenthal's letter, concerns which we also share," Buckmaster wrote in a blog post dated April 22.

Founded in 1995, Craigslist has grown into the country's largest online classified advertising companies, providing one of the nation's most extensive and controversial sex-service listings. Last November, under pressure from 40 US attorney generals, the company agreed to charge people posting erotic ads $5-$10 by credit card to use the site. The fee was nominal but Blumenthal said the credit card information gave authorities a way to track illegal activity on the site.

"Craigslist intends to play an ever larger leadership role with respect to Internet safety and security, and we invite and appreciate any and all input" from law enforcement and agencies fighting child trafficking worldwide, Buckmaster wrote.

He did not say in his post what specific steps the company will take.

"We will have more to say on this subject in the days and weeks ahead," he wrote.
(By Megan Woolhouse, Globe staff)