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Internet law may protect racist Craigslist ads

Racially discriminatory apartment ads on craigslist — which say things such as “No Minorities” or “African Americans and Arabians tend to clash with me so that won’t work out” — may be perfectly legal under the 1996 Communications Decency Act, which protects Internet forums that post ads and opinions submitted by their users. The San Francisco-based internet site founded by Craig Newmark (pictured) is being used by housing advocates who contend such ads violate the 1968 Fair Housing Act, which applies to newspaper ads. But reporter Mike Hughlett of the Chicago Tribune reported Sunday that experts believe the Communications Decency Act, or CDA, may trump fair housing laws. Hughlett points out that a federal judge in California cited the CDA in a 2004 decision dismissing a suit by two fair housing groups against Roommates.com, a roommate search service. The case, which is on appeal, is similar to the one against Craigslist.

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