Notes from the Web that Was: The Platform Politics of Craigslist

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Published: Mar 31, 2019
DOI: https://doi.org/10.24908/ss.v17i1/2.12939

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Jessa Lingel

Abstract

Surveillance is an increasingly common feature of online life, with user activity logged and tracked in order to sell advertising. Rather than focusing on platforms that have consistently violated user privacy, this paper uses Craigslist as a model of a widely used and profitable online platform with policies that emphasize user privacy. By focusing on its monetization strategies (which are straightforward rather than obfuscated) and its defense of anonymity, this paper argues that Craigslist successfully maintains Web 1.0 ethics around user surveillance that are worth remembering in a contemporary digital landscape.

Article Details

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Vol. 17 No. 1/2 (2019): Platform Surveillance
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Articles

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