Craigslist Still Hates VoIP

A 2008 VoIP Insider post discussed Craigslist’s insistance that VoIP users are up to no good. The telephone verification process to authenticate Craigslist ads resulted in VoIP and pre-paid cell users being blocked. Presumably because those numbers can be changed frequently resulting in spam.

Since then, VoIP use has only increased making roundabout methods such as phone verified account (PVA) stores even more popular hence the latest lawsuit: Craigslist Sues Sellers of Phone Verified Accounts, Fights Posting Spam.

Craiglist maintains that these types of services “make it easier for people to submit automated postings to Craiglist” by circumventing their spam protection features.

Twarting spam is a worthy endeavor but Craigslist will have to recognize VoIP users at some point as the VoIP technology adoption rate continues its fast paced growth.

Who’s to say Craigslist isn’t using VoIP to save a buck just like the rest of us and to take a quote from my colleague’s post years ago about their own automated outbound verification calls:

I would not be surprised to learn that the provider was leveraging VoIP to send these very same outbound verification calls. Now wouldn’t that be ironic?

Nathan Miloszewski

Nate is VoIP Supply's former Content Marketing Manager.

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View Comments

CR says:

November 3, 2011 at 4:32 PM

Craigslist are a bunch of *****.

They refuse to VA my account because I've had VOIP through Vonage for 5 years.

I'm going to sue they're ***. I'd like to see where it says they can deny service to VOIP customers.

The other phone I have is,....you guessed it. A pre-paid cell from Virgin I bought for $100 from Radio Shack.

Finally score

Junk sellers 0
Creeps TOTAL SHUTOUT!
Kevin Jerry says:

February 3, 2012 at 6:18 AM

We are voip provider in Louisville. I think Craigs List has now softened their stance.