Reply #36: CraigsList is legally protected and will win.

[Xithras]

The 1996 Telecommunications Act defined Internet service providers as "common carriers" and specifically exempted them from responsibility for content carried over their networks. Legally, suing Craiglist for this has about as much chance of winning as suing GMail for racist emails sent by their subscribers, suing the telephone company for racist phone calls you've received, or suing geocities for a racist website that someone posted. While I'm sure there are people who would love to do just that, we have laws in this country that protect information carriers. As long as the Craigslist staff aren't practicing editorial control, they are classified as carriers and are protected.

FWIW, vice patrols have been complaining about this fact and Craigslist for a while now. Prostitutes are posting a LOT of stuff online in their erotic boards, and the police are helpless to shut it down. They've tried everything and have discovered that their hands are tied. These housing advocates are going to discover the same thing.