These are controversial days for online classified ad service Craigslist. First up: A lawsuit in Illinois,where the Cook County sherriff is calling the service “the largestsingle source of prostitution in the nation” (and here we are thinkingthe largest source of prostitution was, well, prostitutes) because ofthe advertising under its “erotic services” category.
Then came suspicions that alleged med student/serial killer/wack-job Phillip Markoff (noneof these adjectives has been proved in a court of law) may have stalkedat least one of his victims through ads in the online service.
Now, a Wisconsin woman has been convicted of disorderly conduct forposting her ex-boyfriend’s work telephone number and photos under the“casual encounters” section of Craigslist, encouraging men to “talkdirty to me.”
The 20-year-old has been ordered to write an apology and performcommunity service for the misdemeanor charge, and should considerherself lucky. She was originally charged with identity theft, a felonythat would have entailed time in an unflattering orange jumpsuit.
Which begs two questions: A) Does that really qualify as identity theft, and 2) What are you wearing?