Don't be too alarmed... this is still a (mostly) G-rated blog on business ethics.
But the presence and role of sex is essential in any discussion of the Internet, particularly in regards to ethics. The online porn industry alone is one of the most profitable industries in the country, and was even one of the most stable industries through the recession.
Myspace has lost the battle for a clean image online. By failing to uphold strict standards for photo use and spam, it has become home to several types of activities that have permanently changed its image and therefore, advertising interest.
Facebook, on the other hand, maintains strict rules through "report abuse" links, "porn police" and other means to ensure they have a clean reputation and cater to a much broader user base than Myspace. This, in turn, ensures that a wider variety of advertisers are comfortable and find it beneficial to work with Facebook.
Then, we have Craigslist. Craigslist began as a sketchy site for trading things essentially under the table. As it took off, so did it's "adult section." Now, Craigslist's Personals are one of its most popular sections. From "strictly platonic" to completely X-Rated content in the "casual encounters" section, Craigslist is having a very difficult time cleaning up it's rep.
So here's the same old question... To what extent is protecting underage and unwanting users from this content the responsibility of the site, the law or the users themselves?
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