C*ckblocked

Congress effectively shuts down Craigslist personal ads… are dating apps next?

Say goodbye to searching for your Missed Connections or having a M4M Casual Encounter because, as of yesterday, Craigslist Personals are finished.

How?! How could this happen?! you wonder.

Well, it’s all because of the passage of the Allow States and Victims to Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act (FOSTA), which Congress passed on Wednesday.

The act essentially makes it easier for victims of sex trafficking, as well as prosecutors, to sue websites that allow sex traffickers to post ads on their platforms.

Related: Antigay Republican was “all over Craigslist,” used alias to meet and hookup with men, sources say

Now, if you try going to the Craigslist Personals page, you’re met with the following memo:

US Congress just passed HR 1865, “FOSTA”, seeking to subject websites to criminal and civil liability when third parties (users) misuse online personals unlawfully.

Any tool or service can be misused. 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.

To the millions of spouses, partners, and couples who met through craigslist, we wish you every happiness!

People have not been taking the news well.

Reddit has also shut down several “questionable” subreddits because of the bill, out of fear of FOSTA repercussions.

Tech companies fought hard against the bill, arguing they couldn’t be held responsible for what people post, but in the end, they lost the fight.

“Today was a dark day for the Internet,” the EFF said in a statement after the bill’s passing.

It remains to be seen how hookup apps like Grindr, Scruff, and Tindr will respond to FOSTA.

Related: Married financier says he’s the target of an elaborate M4M Craigslist ‘smear campaign’

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