Tech : Oodle Says Craigslist Is a 'Cesspool of Crime,' Craigslist Explains What Oodle Is

There's a nasty war of words brewing between Craigslist and Oodle, a rival classified ads site. Yesterday, Oodle posted a report claiming that last year, 330 crimes (including 43 violent crimes) were connected to Craigslist, which the company described as a "cesspool of crime." The report, which Oodle put together with research firm AIM Group, also featured an infographic titled 'Mayhem on Craigslist,' along with an image of an assassin holding a knife.

Not surprisingly, Craigslist is pretty irritated by Oodle's characterization. In a retaliatory blog post, Craigslist CEO Jim Buckmaster deemed the report a "false (and defamatory) paid-for editorial," noting that 300 crimes is only a small part of the "BILLIONS [sic] of human interactions" that his site facilitates every day. Buckmaster also took the opportunity to take a swipe at Oodle, which he explained in great detail "since few have heard of it."

But Oodle isn't the only classified ads site looking to characterize Craigslist as a den of crime and corruption. Last Spring, eBay made a point of describing its revamped classifieds platform as "family-friendly," and boasted that users would find no "adult-related content." And yesterday, Silicon Alley published a profile on a startup called StorkBrokers -- a site "for parents who are scared of Craigslist."

So far, though, this tactic hasn't put much of a dent in Craigslist's commanding market share. According to comScore, Craigslist attracted more than 53 million unique visitors in January. Oodle, by contrast, brought in just 3.5 million.

Politics : Congressman Chris Lee Resigns Following Gawker Revelation

Three hours after his shirtless Craigslist antics appeared on this site, Rep. Chris Lee (R-NY) announced his resignation from the U.S. House of Representatives. Moments ago his office sent the following press release to the media:

For Immediate Release: Wednesday, February 9, 2010

Statement from Congressman Chris Lee (NY-26):

"It has been a tremendous honor to serve the people of Western New York. I regret the harm that my actions have caused my family, my staff and my constituents. I deeply and sincerely apologize to them all. I have made profound mistakes and I promise to work as hard as I can to seek their forgiveness.

"The challenges we face in Western New York and across the country are too serious for me to allow this distraction to continue, and so I am announcing that I have resigned my seat in Congress effective immediately."

Thieves Find Unsuspecting Victims on Craigslist

For some reason, people don't often apply the same cautious approach to purchasing things off Craigslist as they do to, say, meeting a potential partner off Craigslist. Well, they should. Oakland police have issued a warning after a recent spate of robberies; people who had arranged to meet a seller from the classifieds site were instead held up at gunpoint. The police have offered advice to would-be Craigslist shoppers, and we second their suggestions. Always meet in a public place. (We suggest a crowded Starbucks.) Don't carry large amounts of money to the meeting. (If the item costs a significant sum, meet and check out the item first, sans cash.) And, if anything seems even slightly suspicious, leave immediately.

Most of these tips are applicable to meeting anyone offline for any reason. Just because you're not setting up a romantic rendezvous doesn't mean you're out of harm's way.

Damn! - Craigslist Shuts Down 'Adult Services' Section Across the World

In September, Craigslist decided to permanently shut down its 'Adult Services' section in the U.S. after coming under fire from American lawmakers. Now, the controversial section has been removed from the company's international sites, as well.

It's still not clear what prompted the move, but Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal said Craigslist contacted his office on Tuesday to confirm the decision. Blumenthal, as you may recall, led the charge against the company's X-rated section, which offered sexual services, and not-so-subtle ads for prostitution. Yesterday, Blumenthal applauded Craigslist's decision, and said it marked a major victory against human trafficking and the sexual exploitation of women and children. "This move is another important step in the ongoing fight to more effectively screen and stop pernicious prostitution ads," the Attorney General told the AP.

Before these decisions, the company insisted that it cooperated with law enforcement authorities in identifying human traffickers on the site, but critics still took issue with the profit that the illegal business generated for Craigslist. This year, for example, Craigslist was expected to rake in about $36 million in revenue from its 'Adult Services' section -- nearly one-third of the $122 million it was projected to earn overall.