The advent of Craiglist’s popular personal ads can be linked to a 15.9 percent surge in HIV cases, or more than 6,000 new HIV cases annually, according to a study by researchers at the University of Minnesota, published in the December issue of MIS Quarterly.
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This translates into between $62 million and $65.3 million in medical treatment for those who become HIV positive.
Study: HIV cases jump 16% when Craigslist comes to town http://t.co/LZAD8r2Kkm
— Christopher Ingraham (@_cingraham) February 1, 2015 Jason Chan, who authored the study with New York University’s Anindya Ghose, said the popular online platform could not have predicted the “unintended consequences” of their service.
"Our study results suggest that there is a new social route of HIV transmission that is taking place in this digital era," said Chan, who is Assistant Professor of Information and Decision Sciences at the Carlson School of Management. "Health care practitioners and policymakers have to look more closely at online platforms to assess how its usage may facilitate the spread of HIV and STDs across the country."
The research used data from 33 US states between 1999 and 2008.
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Since the results of the study were made public, Craigslist has prohibited ads for professional escort services, and visitors to the personal ads section are greeted with the notice: “Safer sex greatly reduces the risk of STDs. Please report suspected exploitation of minors.”
However, in their report, the researchers said that the risk of contracting HIV and other STDs was higher among the general public using personal ads for casual sexual encounters than with the ads by professional sex workers.
Chan and Ghose found that “nonmarket-related casual sex” is the primary reason for the increase in HIV cases, in contrast to “paid transactions solicited” featured on the site (e.g., escort services and prostitution), which showed a “negative relationship with HIV trends.” This suggests that professional sex workers are more aware of the risks associated with casual sexual relations and practice safer sex more consistently.
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