As part of covering the Google Exec who died with an escort, USA Today ran an story today focusing on the sex trade in CA and called out P411 as an example of internet marketing of the trade.

Oh man, I don't like any part of this article.  Particularly this part:

that is America, the nation of absolute hypocrisy.  The same fat bastards that write the laws are getting serviced in their cubicles and telling us that it should remain illegal.   So what, a guy overdosed on his boat with a provider.   The only crackdown that needs to happen here is on stupidity.

P411 doesn't do an anal cavity check like RS2K does, so if you gave P411 your info, you are asking for trouble.  Once the feds shut them down, what do you think they will do with your name and info??

They aren't a US company.  Feds can't touch em.

So I don't think "the feds" have jurisdiction.  Plus, real name/address/phone is used to initially verify clients and then destroyed.  After initial verification the site relies on client reputation through OKs, and references for provider screening.  I"d be more concerned about RS2K since it does reside in the US and is under federal jurisdiction.

But makes one think twice about any place else, including, as much as I like the option, agencies.

...Just like those who hide their money overseas the US has successfully manuveured/negotiated to have US taxpayer hidden accounts exposed/reported.

I would bet the US has influence in Canada.

As far as I know, the US federal government has no investigatory or charging authority over a foreign entity located in a foreign country.  Imagine Chinese authorities coming to the US and trying to prosecute Google for violating Chinese law.  While the DOJ may be ruffled by P411, there's basically nothing they can do about it.  The only way they were able to shut down off-shore gambling sites was by preventing US banks from transferring the money back and forth.  Money is only going in one direction to P411, and can always be done by money order.  I suppose they could order ISPs to block the site, but that would be an unprecedented move, and would probably be ineffective anyway.

OK.  Lets say that under some perfect confluence of tragic events, they are given access by the authorities in Canada to raid the offices of P411.  What exactly will they find?  Names and phone numbers and occupations?  Where is the proof that I fucked for money?  The reason that law enforcement focuses on sting operations and streetwalkers is because you have PROOF of the exchange of money for sex.    Otherwise P411 is just an erotic version of Dungeons and Dragons.  There must be a return on the investment of resources.  Sting operations bring in Johns with disposable income into the court THAT DAY, giving them sizable revenue and flashy 6 pm news coverage of them "doing something."

And if I recall, the hobby is legal in Canada?

If there is to be a crack-down, is it destined to become known as the 'New Prohibition?"  (To suffer a similar fate!)  

So what about RS2K then?  Is there precedence for ordering the transfer of all personal data to authorities?

Sorry, but both TER and p411 are .com sites, so no matter where they are located the feds can shut down their web sites - presumably with a court order. They did this with a website that was very popular in the San Francisco area recently. I've been following the news on this a bit. This other website had both ads and reviews, but the cops seemed to really emphasize a web page that explained all the abbreviations and acronyms that are used to describe sex acts. I guess that it is safer to leave that to the urban dictionary.

The FBI or any local LE agency that cares to can just join (and probably already has joined) any sites they want to prioritize. They don't need to crash in through the skylight and send SWAT teams through the door with guns blazing or even get help from the NSA, they just created the escort and client profiles they need, roll up enough people, and the website will implode, at least in that jurisdiction.

Seriously.... you are all up in arms over a website mentioned in a newspaper article? If you follow your screening processes and guys are just as careful in screening as the women there should be no problems.  

See, I knew my money was on the right moron when I bet on Fungy for SPOTY. lmao

You live in fantasy land! Canada has agreement with the US and as the case of Hushmail proved they will allow the fbi to enforce a warrant issued by the US

How do you explain this? Hushmail is Canadian  
http://www.wired.com/2007/11/encrypted-e-mai/