Although well intentioned, I see this decision by Craigslist as an insideous form of control over the types of communication and human relationships (commercial or otherwise) that may exist. Why, for example, is this set of regulations necessary? Is there something impeding the NCMEC from targeting human trafficers who use Craigslist without the proposed changes? How will charging fees for certain categories of advertisement solve this problem? As you say, it’s nothing more than an excuse to regulate relationships.

As social networking websited and the web itself has grown it will attract more regulation the same way a densely populated city will have more traffic signs and flashing lights than a small town. But as the larger sites swell into intrusion of the collective consciousness, smaller sites can remain in the periphery of the unconscious experimenting with the new possibilities which will define the future.