If you are the least bit net savvy, you are likely familiar with Craigslist. The widely used website, which offers leading classified ad services, is active in over 500 cities worldwide and has been an Internet stalwart for over 10 years. But, for the millions of people who have used Craigslist to find an apartment, sell their old furniture or other conventional tasks, there has been a percentage of users who turned to the site for something far more provocative.

Notorious on the net for its “Erotic Services” feature, Craigslist has become a flourishing high-tech tool for the world’s oldest profession. Offering customers anything from a simple massage to an escort for the night, prostitutes have been able to use the website to arrange jobs with ease - much to the chagrin of law enforcement. Also, despite their best efforts, because of the frequency and sheer volume of the postings, there was little the Craigslist team could do to help.

Which all explains why Richard Blumenthal, the attorney general of Connecticut, recently presented Craigslist with a letter demanding the site develop more stringent measures to curb the illegal content. As explained in this New York Times article, the letter, which represented the interests of 40 states, led to ongoing discussions between the parties, ultimately resulting in Craigslist implementing a new series of policies for their erotic services section.

So what’s the lesson from an Online Reputation Management perspective? Quite simply, if you don’t monitor content on your site, the government might end up doing it for you. As the courts and justice system continue to monitor technological advances, expect more regulation of online content from the government in the future.

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