1: sex workers can't advertise as they have been able to, under threat of prosecution for advertising.

Some are suggesting clients get on a mailing list from the providers to receive their newsletters. If an agency sends one out with all of the providers listed on it, isn't it the same thing as posting an ad on a website? And if so what ramifications will the sender face with these new laws in place?

Hasn't this activity not been legal since day 1...what's the difference today vs yesterday?  

Add Reddit forums and Craigslist Personals section to the forums being shut down. As communication and flow of information is restricted in this industry, it’s always shown to increase the danger and risks associated with the profession.

My understanding is that it makes the owners of websites that have ads for sex work liable for an illegal act. It makes the advertising illegal and the owners of those sites can have a 25 year prison sentence.  
It was not illegal to advertise the illegal service, it now makes that advertising illegal. So sex workers advertisements will get up to 10 years in prison. That is my layman's view. A very basic explanation.  
Please correct me if I am wrong.

My understanding is that the law makes it criminal to "promote or facilitate" prostitution.  Ads are one way to do that.  But I don't think it would be much of a stretch for prosecutors to argue that  providing a forum for reviews of prostitutes facilitates prostitution.  It's not clear to me how this site survives, unless the owners are willing to take some serious risks.

-- Modified on 3/23/2018 11:41:11 AM

Ok, Twitter here I come lol uggg, is there a Twit twat for dummies? Maybe it won't be so bad....but that's the only place you'll find me personally in a short while, yes, this sucks

1) Less data on dangerous folks... less demand... higher rates
2) Incentives for dangerous folks to be more dangerous if they can't be outed
3) Alternatives flourish - SD/SB
4) More code words on hookup sites and apps. More danger, more risk, more of what the laws are 'intended' to stop
5) More changes coming to traditional sites

That's right. Our activity hasn't changed. The laws are changing! What you are missing is Provider Ads are now deemed ILLEGAL whereas before this new legislation, posting ads online was not illegal. Newsletters are ads too. They are not websites. But they are ads on the internet that are most likely subject to the same new laws. So yeah... the NEW fear is real, and needs to be discussed. Things are not the same as before. This brand new legislation changes everything. We cannot ignore it.

With what they track... no thank you.

It specifically used the term "of another person..." and then specifically calls out "person of 5 more" which I interpret (confirmed by a lawyer I have spoken with to understand the legalese) that agencies will have an even tougher time then an independent companion.  The problem is the language is very broad and vague and not only implicates the websites but also the ISPs.    

I am against all social media in my real life, so there's no connection there. But let me know how and what they track. It's my understanding you can't sign up anymore with just an email, and burner #'s are already a no go on there, so even if I did go to that site, not sure how to tbh lol

to me posting ads was always illegal to me anyhow, and I saw it as a complete risk putting yourself out there. Which is why I had no choice but to go UTR a few different times as my personal career took off. I would come back when I deemed it ok to be 'seen' again lol.  

The new laws are directed at Internet Websites and Ads. In your opinion, do you think personal newsletters that are sent to private emails fall under the same category?

Exactly!!! They haven't prevented any trafficking, or prevented anyone from being taken advantage of. This profession isn't going anywhere, it's been around forever. All they've done, is create a less safe environment for everyone involved. As well as make it more difficult for themselves to catch the actual bad guys. Smh... this is awful

They're not going to do it.  
They're going to be overwhelmed by regs and past one-time visitors.  
They won't have time or a need to do a newsletter.
For about six months to a year.

twitter acts and our friend's Gina for finding girlfriends... or for tour guides... or therapist, I personally offer tours in the area of Washington DC and surroundings... so much history & activities to cover!!!  
There's also other ways but u have to contact me in private.

You are not the consumer of these apps. You are the product. You, your data far beyond what you think you share with them. This is the FB news today and it's also been revealed by past employees.  
I'm not as concerned yet with this. I'm somewhat surprised at the response if it's only passed the house to be honest. I wouldn't overreact personally.

Things are going to get difficult for us for a period of time before they [inevitably] strike it down as unconstitutional.  After the shutting down of  C L personals I realized this is going to affect more than just us and the tech industry and people will start getting agitated.

Yes, what you do has always been illegal, but it wasn't illegal for the companies that hosted your ads. SESTA doesn't make what independent providers do any more or any less illegal than it was before, but what it will do is eliminate most of the places that you girls have counted on to be able to place your ads in the past.

Well said, I get it. It was all wrapped up in one lil illegal bubble for me anyhow, but I do understand. I've gone utr before so for me this is no different, it's just not by choice this time.  

I have no clue.

It’s like we’re in some sort of weird dystopian novel.

The most painless thing possible would be providers posting “travelogues” of sorts, listing on boards where they’ve been traveling and where they’re going, with no references about rates or overly sexual photos. The sites say these aren’t ads, we’ll go after ads, and clients just email for rates and additional photos if needed. It’s basically the same system only more guarded so websites aren’t in jeopardy. The keys to that working are whether the websites get jittery and what the government does in the way of threats.

This law isn’t about making it easier to go after individual providers. It’s about making it easier to go after places that providers advertise on, like red state abortion regulations that make it harder for abortion providers to provide the service rather than targeting individual women with unconstitutional punishments.

There are newsletter services that have kicked folks off (myself included) for violating their TOS way before these laws. I realize why I was kicked off, I was careless, should have kept my language more "cleaner" so to speak. (I guess I could have argued w/ customer service but It was not a battle worth waging for me). So yes, if newsletter services feel that you're, uh, misusing their platform/services, they will block you. Or conveniently block your letters from reaching it's desired destination.  

Deleting certain kinds of photos, making sure their followers explicit photos are off their Twitter page, deleting certain hashtags, Changing the wordage of everything they say in a tweet, deleting the Direct Messages (DMs). some are dumping their followers. I do find it ironic that those doing the dumping still have something sexual on their site, lol. I don't think it's all that altruistic as some make it out to be when they are on an unfollowing spree as they try to make it. Better just to own what your doing, those doing it are doing so to supposedly protect themselves. Right now I'm having to spend A LOT of time redoing what I'm doing on Twitter. The same shit storm going on here and other sites is all over Twitter. It took me almost two years to get 600+ followers. That just great for me because I don't want a ton of followers. Public pages have thousands of followers rather quickly *most* of the time. There are ladies with 6K followers and more. At least you are starting with a clean slate if you put a page up. The last 2 days have been a royal PITA and exhausting there. Better to join and look around at some ladies public pages for a while before putting up your own site (page) there.

Move web hosting to Non-USA based hosting companies.  

I like how one article said this is the beginning of internet censorship and that porn is the ultimate target of those who wrote this over reaching new law.

Yes, advertising prostitution has always been illegal. What SESTA changed was to remove the CDA 230 protections from the websites that host the ads. Under SESTA website owners are criminally liable for the content of anything posted on their site if they have or should have known that the content is illegal. This goes for not just sites like CityVibe and TER, but also for Twitter and Facebook, or your local newspaper's comment section.

That's actually a pretty good point

That's actually a pretty good point

You are one of my favorite strangers!  

Exactly "short term results."  Very well said!  We are ALL averse to change.  Yet, I for one, would never underestimate the "creativity" of a provider and hobbyist, when they are determined to satisfy what matters to them most!

"Hasn't this activity not been legal since day 1...what's the difference today vs yesterday? "
Yes, you're missing something very big.  
Individual providers' activity has been illegal.
Web posting sites' activity -- simply providing a place to post -- has not: Section 230.
Now it is (the new law says).  
Big change.  
What somebody else posts on your open web site can get you 25 years in jail.  That's new, and awful.

"agencies will have an even tougher time"
Mostly not.  Any website big enough to survive will have more than 5 posters being "facilitated".  Agencies or indys, they all add up for the website operator.

Adapt and overcome{pun intended} we will find a work around . We always do. Prohibition couldn't stop us from getting what we want or need , neither will this.  History is on our side. Fuck those fucking fuckers. Did we give up when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor????..  oh wait , wrong movie..

For all the ladies that have reestablished themselves as professional sword swallowers...  

Yes, ads for prostitution in most states have always been illegal under STATE laws but usually a minor misdemeanor if consenting adults with a fine or in AZ 15 days mandatory in jail.  Unless more than one person like agencies then in AZ its a criminal enterprise with long prison terms possible.