Desiree Alliance 2010 Abstracts
April 9, 2012 | Leave a Comment
Presented at the 2010 Desiree Alliance Conference in Las Vegas
Police Treatment of Arrested Sex Workers and the law
Police are given the freedom to interpret and enforce prostitution laws as they see fit, which affects the daily lives of sex workers more than the actual laws themselves. In the partially-legal countries of England, Singapore and Hong Kong (technically not a country), and the fully-criminalized US, I will show that police treatment of arrested sex workers is not reflective of prostitution laws but instead reflects local police culture, effectiveness of police oversight and general local attitude toward sex workers themselves. The obvious solution to changing police treatment of arrested sex workers is more direct outreach and education with local police as well as actively engaging local police oversight resources, regardless of the actual laws regulating prostitution.
Safety for Sex Workers through Personal Privacy: Digital and Real-World Techniques for Safeguarding Your Identity and Your Life
Panel presentation with: Furry Girl, Brooke Magnanti, Alex Sotirov
From pornographer/web model Furry Girl: As someone who’s a model and a small business owner, I’d like to point out the potential identity breaches rooted in the United State’s federal 2257 laws. I’m not a lawyer – so my focus is explaining from an indie pornographer’s sex worker’s perspective how 2257 laws put everyone in a bad place and work to stifle free sexual expression online.
From author and escort Amanda Brooks: Offline privacy and money management. I will offer simple, legal methods of disassociating your real name/home address from your work name. It can also be important to keep your real name and actual place of residence separate from one another. Learn which prepaid card can be used for registering domain names, do business banking without opening a business account, and discreetly move your earnings across state and international borders.
From author and former escort Dr Brooke Magnanti (aka Belle de Jour): My contribution will be focusing on maintaining privacy in traditional media – how to publish anonymously, sign contracts, and give interviews without compromising anonymity. It will discuss using limited liability companies to your advantage and managing profits to minimize tax burden.
Professional hacker Alex Sotirov will be covering online/digital privacy, with a focus on how your activities can be tracked online and what steps you can take to try and maintain as much anonymity as possible on the net.
Safety for Sex Workers Through Personal Privacy
April 9, 2012 | Leave a Comment
Legal and Relatively Simple Ways of Working and Living Out of Harm’s Way
Presented at the 2008 Desiree Alliance Conference in Chicago
This was a presentation from last year that many enjoyed and many others did not get to attend. New material will be added this year from my return to escort work — such as advance deposits without giving up my personal info. This is a straightforward how-to piece using legal techniques of misdirection and misinformation gleaned through my own experiences and research. The concepts of having an alternate name and an alternate mailing address are simple ideas. The trick is in learning how to achieve it. An untraceable cell phone, credit card and even business bank account is essential for sex workers with more complex business needs. None of these methods will hide you from the IRS or the government, but they are enough to keep predators at arms length, which is something most sex workers want.
Know Your Rights!
January 17, 2009 | Leave a Comment
A new administration, continuing crackdowns on CraigsList and sex workers watching their incomes fall leave many vulnerable who haven’t worried before.
Just in time, SWOP-Chicago has released two videos for all sex workers who face the possibility of arrest on prostitution charges. It’s an excellent resource for all. I highly encourage anyone reading this blog to view the videos and learn.
Know Your Rights Part I covers arrest — what to do and what not to do. Basically, you stand a much better chance of events turning in your favor if you stay silent.
Know Your Rights Part II covers what happens after an arrest and spends significant time on walking you through your Emergency Response Worksheet step-by-step.
These videos are valuable resources compiled not only by the actual collective experience of SWOP-Chicago, but anchored by their legal consultations as well. No rumors or urban legend allowed. Straight up, practical lessons on handling the event in the best possible way. Repeat viewings are encouraged.
Choosing a Domain Name — Extra Tip
May 19, 2008 | Leave a Comment
In the section in Book 2 on purchasing domain names, I come up with some creative reasons for not buying your working name for your escort Web site.
Another reason I should’ve mentioned: someone else might not like it.
If you pick the name (or create a similar name) of a celebrity or fictional character, you could get a cease-and-desist letter from their estate or attorney. You run the risk of a defamation or copyright/trademark violation lawsuit as well.
Or you could inadvertently choose the name of a real person, who discovers that an escort is using their name online. If they’re the wrong kind of person, they may well sue you for defamation.
While I haven’t seen this happen yet, an escort I know shares the name of an author (who has made remarks on her blog). Though the escort has been using her working name for a few years, the author was born with that name and could make things ugly if she really wanted.
This is simply something to be aware of when choosing a domain name. Some escorts get around this by purchasing domains like DateAmanda.com or AmandaofDallas.com instead of buying AmandaBrooks.com. Still not very creative, in my opinion, but less likely to make someone else upset.
When You DON’T Need a Site Disclaimer
May 16, 2008 | Leave a Comment
Though I’ve discussed Web site disclaimers both here and in Book 2, the truth is your site may not require a disclaimer.
If the site is simple and doesn’t allude to sexual activity (paid or unpaid), and your photos are unrevealing; an age limit and/or 2257 statement could be completely unnecessary. You might still want a Disclaimer page to make a copyright statement or to provide visitors the chance to leave if they’ve truly found your site by accident. But if you don’t have this extra page at the front of your site you should not be breaking any current stated Internet laws (I’m not a lawyer and this is not substitute for legal counsel).
I have a Disclaimer on this site (though not the blog since it’s within the site’s structure) because I feel it’s proper. Though I doubt anyone has reached this site looking for information on anything other than safer sex or Internet escorts, I want to cover my bases. The topic is volatile enough.
But a well-made escort site with nothing more than PG-rated content may not have to worry about making a disclaimer at all.
Not Screening is Bad Advice
March 24, 2008 | Leave a Comment
In discussing the Spitzer scandal, Mistress Matisse advises men seeking paid companionship to seek independents. I think that’s the correct route as well. But then she advises clients to seek independents who don’t screen, those who simply go on their instincts.
She should know better. Every time I’ve heard of a girl getting arrested, it’s because she didn’t screen. No doubt girls who screen get arrested as well, but every instance I’ve come across doesn’t include screening. Girls who don’t screen are very easy pickings for police.
Why should this concern a client? Girls who have been arrested and are still working are a risk. They could be under surveillance; they could be providing information for a reduced sentence. A client wanting to avoid risk does not want someone who is at high risk for having a history of arrest.
And, of course, girls who don’t screen are easy targets for danger. This doesn’t pose much of a risk to clients, but it poses a huge risk to the girls themselves. It isn’t that screening prevents violence — it doesn’t. But it often gives a layer of protection: because the client is less likely to misbehave if he knows she has his personal, identifying information on her desk and someone with truly bad intentions probably isn’t willing to give out any information in the first place.
Alternatives to Submitting Screening Info
If you’re a client with the time to spare, meeting for coffee first is a great way to get around screening requirements (Matisse gives this tip as well). Of course, be willing to pay her rate for the amount of time you want to meet. She’s working around your needs and is spending time with you. Her landlord does not accept coffee or lunch in lieu of a rent payment. Pay her rate.
Be prepared to show ID. Don’t worry about this very much, though. Few people can remember the numbers of your license or passport. An escort examines ID to make sure that the picture looks like you, the birth date is accurate, the name is correct and that it’s a real ID. She’s not memorizing the number on the card.
Another option is to screen with a reputable, established escort in that town, then use her as a reference for everyone else you wish to see. Good escorts will provide client references. If she’s built a solid reputation in her town, other escorts will take her references. And, as a professional, she wants to keep her reputation. Your screening information will be safe with her.
One client who didn’t want to give screening information told me to Google his name. If he didn’t look like the pictures I found through Google, then he would leave at my request. He passed.
Clients: Do Your Homework
Of course, the real lesson in all this: do your homework. Instead of calling a girl at 3am with a 24/7 phone number and no Web site, take time to research all the escorts in your city and find the few who really appeal to you. See if they have blogs, if they post on discussion boards, if they have reviews. See how long their domain name has been registered. See if they’ve traded links with other reputable escorts. See if other people mention them and in what way.
Escorts who diligently screen might be a little more expensive than those who don’t. Paying for peace of mind may be worth it, depending on how seriously you consider an escort’s business methods vs. your own level of risk.
Trust
Screening is about trust. The escort has to trust she won’t be taken advantage of in any way and so does the client. The world being what it is, escorts stand to lose far more than the average client – including their lives.
An escort who is aware of the need for screening is probably more aware of other issues, like taking care of her health or keeping her incall secure. Established escorts who screen take care of their clients by default. An escort who simply operates on instinct…well, how much are you willing to bet she’s never had an off day?
Effects of Explicit Reviews
March 18, 2008 | Leave a Comment
In Book #2, I discuss reviews, especially the explicit ones favored by The Erotic Review (TER) and some other review sites. While they can be a boon for business, they can also be used against you as evidence to make a case for arrest (this has happened). If they are used against you as evidence, chances are they’ll be read in court, which could be embarrassing for most girls.
Yesterday, a whole new level of possible embarrassment opened up – getting your reviews read on Howard Stern. Apparently Kristen (of the Spitzer scandal) had TER reviews under another name. Howard got that information and read her reviews – the non-public part. He has an audience of over12 million.
I’m not saying to not allow reviews, though that is the path of most discretion. I am saying to think about your review choices. There are very explicit review sites and escort-friendly review sites. If you think you might be embarrassed or incriminated by very explicit reviews, then you may want to limit the sites where your reviews appear. Clients are usually willing to honor your politely-worded requests.
Lessons From Spitzer
March 12, 2008 | 1 Comment
Don’t Use Agencies
1. Don’t use agencies. Though he led authorities to the agency (they were not under investigation otherwise), the rest of the time agencies are busted because they are under investigation – which leads to client records.
2. Don’t use agencies. In the current legal climate of the US, agencies are charged with felonies: pandering, money laundering, tax evasion, violating federal trafficking laws. Because they are an agency these charges are easy to make, difficult to successfully fight.
3. Don’t use agencies. Good agencies that care about their employees’ well-being need to screen clients and this information is saved. It’s responsible — but again, it makes it easy to bring felony charges against them and easy to out clients. Though clients are rarely arrested in agency busts, they are often outed.
4. Don’t use agencies. Good agencies often attract college students or girls who are using this as temporary employment while starting a career. An agency bust often leads to the arrest and outing of its employees. If you have a favorite agency girl, encourage her to go independent (indie). It’s more hassle but may save her future career.
Independent Escorts
Independent escorts are the way to go. Currently, indies can only break local laws – no felonies involved. (There is the matter of crossing state lines for appointments, but I’m not going to go into detail there.) There is an amended trafficking bill (TVPA) that would make even indies into felons, but it hasn’t come up for vote yet.
Most indies who are arrested are thrown in jail, do their time/pay their fine and go on with their lives. Client records (if any) don’t seem to be important to police. Since most indies need to go back to escort work to pay off their fines and court costs, it’s in their best interests not to out their clients. Though police like to rack up the charges, an independent escort who has no illegal drugs and no business arrangements with anyone else is not a big deal (legally speaking).
Police do run stings for clients online; currently CraigsList is popular. Do homework on an escort: her reviews, discussion board postings, blog or anything else about her online. Having a history is a good thing.
Asking if she’s a cop will not get you a straight answer.
Being willing to pay a little more for her company if she’s a well-established escort may mean peace of mind. An escort with a good reputation wants to protect it because it means her livelihood.
And cautious escorts need to screen. Be aware of this need. (Undercover cops may screen but don’t really need to; if they’re going to sting you, they’re going to end up with all your personal info anyway.) Ask the indie what she does with your screening info (be prepared for her to keep it until after your appointment).
I expect clients and providers to become even more cautious after this. It’s ridiculous to have to play such games with the state over a private matter between consenting adults. Understand that the escort or agency is not your enemy.
Online Escorts
Though the US has become aware of CraigsList Erotic Services section, the Spitzer scandal is going to encourage law enforcement to target more online escort agencies. Already the media is in a frenzy discovering the online escort world beyond CraigsList. Though police certainly know about advertising malls and review/discussion boards, CraigsList offers easy pickings and has had the public’s attention. Now the public’s attention is going to broaden, which will have consequences for all.
Using CraigsList For Business
February 25, 2008 | Leave a Comment
The high-profile arrest of the people running the HushHush agency in Charlotte, NC has provided the media with a never-ending stream of story ideas.
This story illustrates some important points, though. A reporter calls a girl who has an ad on CraigsList. She does not screen and offers details of the sexual services she provides, as well as operating under the mistaken impression that asking if the caller is a cop is some sort of protection. I don’t know where she got her business information – if there’s any place where she did get tips on how to work online.
This is part of the reason why police are working CraigsList so hard. It’s very easy pickings.
Don’t Ask if They’re an Officer
It’s not entrapment if they lie and tell you they’re not law enforcement when they are. Undercover officers are legally allowed to lie about whatever they want, especially the fact they’re a police officer. Don’t even bother asking the question. It shows you have no legal training and will probably give up your rights when arrested (at the very least, you probably don’t have a lawyer on call). And it provides you with no protection. None of your callers are going to be with law enforcement. Why? The ones who aren’t will say so, the ones who are will lie.
Many times officers have had sex before making a prostitution arrest. It’s despicable, but is generally excused as being part of their undercover assignment. The law is tilted in favor of law enforcement.
Don’t Talk About Sex and Money
If you’re an escort, you charge for time. If you’re a prostitute, you charge for particular sex acts. Nothing wrong with either one, except that current laws in the US criminalize those who charge for sex acts.
Yes, this is walking a very fine line, but that’s what lawyers are for. If you charge for time, it’s up to the arresting officer to make the case you were charging for sex. If you bluntly spell out what sexual acts you include in your rates – you’re charging for sex. That’s illegal. And it makes the officer’s job so much easier when you discuss what sort of illegal activities you’re willing to engage in for money.
Using acronyms or euphemisms (e.g., BBBJ, greek, etc.) is the same thing. Police know full well those words are directly tied to sexual activity. Unless you’re truly bi-lingual, saying you’ll speak French with your clients is not going to save you when you’re arrested or in trial.
Screen
Clients hate screening, even though it’s in their own best interests. Screening is not a guarantee, but it’s more likely to save you than not screening. Not screening at all is highly risky.
What do I mean by screening? You get personal, identifying information from your prospective client and then check it out to verify he is who he says he is. At the basic level, that’s what screening is. (A complete discussion on screening is planned for Book 3 but will occasionally be discussed here too.)
The first purpose it serves is safety. You’re trusting this man you’ve never met with your physical safety and your life. The least he can do is trust you with his real name and personal information. Requiring screening automatically rules out a lot of men who have bad intentions and don’t want to get “caught.” It’s certainly not worth it to have these men as clients.
The second purpose of screening, of course, is to avoid law enforcement. Though police will sometimes use false IDs (and with thorough screening this can be detected); more often they’ll just move onto someone else who doesn’t screen. Arresting sex workers is easy work and police like to make it even easier for themselves.
If the police are determined to arrest you, they will. You are always free to fight the charges and go to court. If they have no real case you because you only discussed how much you charge for time and never insinuated sex was being paid for; chances are the charges will not stick. You need a good lawyer. The best time to find one is before you’re arrested.
Of Course, There’s More
This is a simplistic look at the complex legal problems the current climate of criminalization causes. A lot of stress and problems would be alleviated by a drastic change in the laws. But this is the game right now. Learn to play it to your best advantage.
The Fife Ordinance
February 21, 2008 | Leave a Comment
The town of Fife, Washington (population: 7000), passed a law in December that outlaws using the Internet (or pagers, cell phones and telephones) for the purposes of prostitution.
While this law seems mostly aimed at CraigsList (since that’s mostly what everyone is aware of), it still applies to the whole Internet — at least for Fife residents. It does make one wonder just how many sex workers there are in a town of 7000. One hundred? A thousand? Several thousand?
I feel this is the beginning of a disturbing trend. Last fall, many newspapers and weekly magazines stopped allowing adult ads. Fife may well start a trend other cities will follow. The effect will not be one of stopping a “problem”; rather it will drive people even further underground and into danger. We’ve seen that again and again with street sex workers when cities decided to “clean up.” Marginalizing and criminalizing does nothing but put the workers in harm’s way.
Not that anyone cares.
