Craigslist accused of bias

CHICAGO, Iowa, Feb. 8 (UPI) -- Craigslist faces a lawsuit from a fair house group in Chicago, accusing the Web site of allegedly publishing discriminatory advertisements.

The case could test the legal liabilities of online ad venues as housing watchdogs want to hold online classified sites to the same standards as publishers of print classifieds, reports the Chicago Tribune.

The federal suit by the Chicago Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law alleged that during a six-month period, the San Francisco-based Craigslist ran more than 100 ads in Chicago that violated the federal Fair Housing Act. It claimed the ads discriminated on race, religion, sex, family status or national origin.

Craigslist's Chief Executive Officer Jim Buckmaster says full screening of its vast classified listings, which range from babysitters seeking work to those selling tickets for baseball games, would be "physically impossible," the report said. He says the site doesn't pre-screen or approve new ads, which number about 8 million each month.

Buckmaster said Craigslist has a system in which its own users can flag inappropriate or illegal ads for removal. The site was founded 10 years ago by a computer programmer.