I live with an absurd degree of paranoia, but in light of recent events in Kennebunk, Maine, I would like to know what precautions providers take to protect the information of their clients. As an example of my paranoia, I only browse TER using the Tor Browser Bundle via a VPN connection to a foreign country, which I keep on a USB drive that I usually keep on my keychain, so if the drive isn't plugged into my computer, there is no trace of me browsing TER. I bought a phone and an already activated SIM card off Craigslist in separate transactions, cash only, and no names exchanged. So there should be no name and address attached to the phone number. However, it is trivial for law enforcement to be able track the phone through either GPS or cell tower location, so I leave the phone off with the battery removed most of the time, and only have it on when I'm on the move in a car. So what actions do providers perform to keep their information secret? I imagine some personal information must be kept for screening and reference purposes, but what's to keep law enforcement from finding it and releasing it as is happening in Maine?

Phones are a treasure trove of information. Alas, as courts have recently ruled, such as in People v. Diaz (2011) 51 Cal.4th 84, the police can search your phone if it is on or near you when you are arrested. Devices such as the Cellebrite Universal Forensic Extraction Device (UFED) make it trivial to slurp all the data, including deleted information, off a phone. So do providers routinely delete call logs and contacts or do they keep them? Do providers use passwords and encryption to protect the contents of their phones? The UFED apparently has difficulty if it encounters phones using encryption and secure passwords (not just 4-digit PINs). If you're using a four digit PIN, the UFED can easily cycle through all 1,000 possible combinations without triggering the wipe after a number of failed attempts. On iOS devices, the iPhone and iPad, encryption is turned on by default if a PIN or password is used. For Blackberries, "device encryption" or "content protection" has to be turned on. For Android, full disk encryption is available for some Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) devices and for all Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) devices, but it needs to be turned on by first going to Security in Settings, activating the screen lock, then turning on encryption. A PIN or a pattern unlock is insufficient; it needs to be an actual password. Even then, the UFED's documentation claims that on some Android phones that it can load its own bootloader, though I don't know if it will still be able to do anything about the encryption.

The other big source of information is computers. So what do providers do to protect the data on their computers? Again, there are lots of instances in which law enforcement can search laptops without needing a warrant, such as at an airport, like in United States v. Arnold (9th Cir. 2008) 523 F.3d 941. Having a password at the login screen doesn't stop anyone from reading what is on the hard drive.  Mac OS X does comes with full disk encryption, known as FileVault. It's in Security & Privacy in System Preferences. Windows also comes with full disk encryption, but only in the Ultimate version of Windows Vista and 7, and the the Pro version of Windows 8. For people who don't have those versions of  Windows, TrueCrypt is a free encryption software. It also works on Mac OS X and Linux. If you're using Linux, then you  probably know better than me about the encryption options available to you.

Even though e-mail is accessed by using computers, it needs to be covered on its own. The degree of privacy that e-mail enjoys is currently in flux. The problem is I do not think people realize how much of the traffic on the Internet is sent out in clear text that anyone snooping can easily read or even alter. And it's sent out through servers that you or your ISP have no control over. As a real world example, I remember when I was bored in grad school, I would load up EtherPEG and see what images my classmates were looking at. It didn't involve any hacking. It was just listening on what was being broadcast on the open wireless network. There's a reason that you don't send credit card numbers by e-mail and why bank sites are usually accessed by https instead of plain http. I get even more anxious about webmail providers where they're
serving you ads based on the contents of your e-mail. I know it's just a computer program and not an actual person reading my e-mail to give me the appropriate ads, but it's still something looking at my e-mail and making decisions based on what's in it. However, I've never seen anyone using encrypted e-mail tools such as PGP or S/MIME. There's also webmail providers that make encryption simple to use such as Hushmail or Countermail. I'm guessing no one ever uses encryption because it requires both the sender and recipient to know how to use encryption. If the recipient is not using encryption, then using Hushmail means you just have normal webmail with a fancy password, but everything is still being sent in clear text. Even if Hushmail is being used by both the sender and recipient, Hushmail has been known to turn e-mails over, including the encryption key, to American law enforcement.

I don' t know if anyone keeps documents the old-fashioned way, on paper, but again I would like to know what security measures are used. Is stuff kept in a safe? Does the safe use a key or a combination lock? Police don't need a search warrant to stick keys they find and put them in locks. Through some quirks in the law, a court can compel you to produce a key to a lock but not compel you to tell a combination.

So does anyone have the same degree of paranoia I have? Anyone out there more paranoid than me?

The best security measure of all time? Deny, deny, deny!  No offense here buddy, but you sound like a fkin cop trying to see if we are actually stupid enough to tell you just how we protect private info. If we told you on a public board, just how discreet would we be? Nice try though.

-- Modified on 10/17/2012 12:33:37 AM

not have it accessible.
Once you give out your information or put it on the web, consider it accessible by anyone.

Using TOR and a VPN will only mask your browsing location and IP address. Any information you accidentally give out about yourself can still be useful for figuring out who you are.

Keep in mind that no one is ever truly 100% anonymous on the internet, no matter what security measures you are using. With enough time and resources, anyone is traceable. Using onion routing does not entirely hide your tracks.

I'm not offended that you call me a cop. I can't change a first impression, and if that's how I came off and it causes you to cast aspersions like that, then it obviously was my fault for phrasing it so badly.

It was a genuine inquiry. I'm just trying to get some assurance that if something happens, that my name doesn't appear in a newspaper or on TV, like what's happening to the poor guys in Maine. I don't think it's out of the question to fear if that would happen, that I would lose my livelihood. So basically, I want more than a "Trust me. I'm discreet." I wasn't asking for the combination to your lock. I just wanted to know if you used a lock at all. I was also hoping to see if it would generate a discussion on "best practices" so that other people would do the same.

I acknowledge that there is no way to be 100% anonymous on the Internet, but I certainly would like to try to make it as difficult as possible to figure out who I am. I'm well aware that once information is put out on the Internet, it tends to stay around. Google Cache and web.archive.org keep stuff around long after websites have disappeared. If I send out e-mail and text messages, the recipient could keep them forever. It scares me that the screening information that I give to a provider could be later used against me. I know that there is some risk to any participation in this hobby, but other than the standard advice of "Only see well-reviewed providers," I wanted to see what is possible to minimize the risks.

It's not against the law to be a 'sugar daddy'.   So consider that option, since you're so paranoid.  Join one of those SD/SB sites, book a lunch date with an SB, and see what follows. I've had some luck there.   --z

I do think that you need to realize that this hobby/activity of ours is hardly risk-free.

You can make a valid case for every one of your points, but in the end, it comes down to whether you are gonna be comfortable with the information given on your end versus her being comfortable with that, as well.

You are definitely a lot more cautious/paranoid than the average TER person, but I am a bad example because I am single and have no one to answer to.  I can understand your point of view, however.

I think it is naive to think that providers simply look at your information once and then delete it.  The truth is, most of them keep some sort of database.  And even if they don't, the fact that correspondence was made on email (for many of them) means that there is a paper trail.

In the end, the cops, however, aren't gonna spend the resources to bust people unless there is something bigger.  For example, if there is a very busy incall place where guys are obviously coming in and out of the place every hour or in multiple of every few hours, that would be a red flag.  If drugs were involved, that would be another thing.  However, cops spending resources to track the emails of one independent provider...I don't think that's something to worry about.

The best hedge against all of the things you are scared about is to stay away from providers that have lots and lots of press and hype.  It's a bad thing when a girl blows up and everyone starts talking about her.  It's not hard for LE to dig then.  But that's just me...that's why nearly every girl I see is not reviewed, and I only review when both the girl and I agree to it.

Bottom line...every time you use the computer or a device to contact someone else, you leave a trail.  If you really want to avoid having any kinda trail, you need to just meet in person, just as the Mafia did way back when.

But it really doesn't have to come to that.

As long as you're not doing anything highly illegal (drugs, firearms, terrorist activities, questionable age and children material, etc) no one will have a reason to go after you, and especially not the average person who isn't that computer savvy. At that point, the only people going after you would be the gov.

Hobbying is in a grey zone, in that it's not entirely legal or illegal, and the sites are all on the surface web. If LE wanted to crack down, they would have already. As long as you aren't doing the illegal activities mentioned above, you should be okay from LE.

As for your personal information, providers aren't going to take as deep of security measures as you would like. They could be contacting you through unsecured public WiFi, talking to you on a phone that can be phreaked, texts can be intercepted, etc. There's always a way, but will the perpetrator go through that much work just to get information from a stranger when he (or she) can do it much easier in the real world?

If you are that worried about your personal information and you let the provider know that, it will only make her more curious about why you're so paranoid and might lead her to look further into you or retain your information. I suggest only seeing providers who are well-established and professional.

Providers put themselves at risks as well. They are putting out their pictures and face (even if blurred) on the net. These providers have civilian lives and some even have other jobs. You shouldn't be too paranoid, seeing that a provider is working and being a provider in the city that she lives. You can try to minimize the risks on your end as much as you would like, but screening information still has to be received and needs a media of travel (in person or on the net).

If a regular person wanted to steal your identity or find out who you were, why would they want to go through all that trouble if you did nothing to them, when there are other victims out there that are easier targets?

Best advice ever lol. Bottom line, you're participating in an illegal business and if it wigs you out this much, I just would not do it at all. Everyone has a level of paranoia, but yours seems like a nagging voice on your shoulder. Is a piece of ass really worth all the stress?

WTF? You don't have a girlfriend or wife I'm assuming, so why is getting "outed" so bad? In this country, most on blog boards agree that this hobby should be legal. Many don't want to support it though because it would destroy relationships that they would rather leave in place. I speak from that very position, but I am ready to face the music when the house of cards comes crashing down. Be brave little tailchaser, don't be stupid, but grow a pair.

It doesn't seem like you are really paranoid. To me, your post came across as someone trying to show off their knowledge about how LE operates, loop holes in the law, and Internet Security.

If you are smart enough to have all this knowledge, I think you are smart enough to know that LE would need motive to do all this.  What is the motive? Is there a reason that LE would want to target you or cares that you fuck hookers? Are you a politician running for office? LE really has better things to do. Yes, they want to crack down on Johns but  they like to use rather low tech methods like setting up reverse stings on BP.

If you are a high risk individual, you need to stay off Internet for hobbying. Period.

number one. Dont host from a zumba studio
number two- dont video tape clients .
Number three: dont host from a small hick town.  

I got as far as your concern with the Maine bust and cold not go on!  In a nut shell, yes we all have to keep our phones & computers set up so that things cannot be traced by snooping eyes.  We need to talk as little as possible about our activities....the old saying :loose lips sinks ships" comes to mind!  The best tool you have is common sense and your gut sense.  This girl in Maine was foolish and is exactly the type I avoid.  

Anyone who is that "out there" with absolutely NO boundaries clearly has NO scruples either! She did not know where to draw the line and had too many people involved in her operation.  An air head like that creates inevitable disaster.  It's simple:  stay away from air heads and that don't use common sense, stay away from druggies (young or mature) and use some standards!  "Hot" can't be your only requirement and if it is, you deserve whatever you get!

for you name and address, and that you have nothing else to say.

You have the right to remain silent.  Use it.

Stick with the well reviewed providers, and providers should only see clients willing to submit to their screening.

When you meet up with LE, you're going down no matter what.

London: You haven't figured that one out yet? Cmon baby girl. What other business is lining up to give you your hourly rate? You even stated earlier that "A man with a hardon has no brains" or some sort of similar shit. When the hormones hit just right....ALL bets are off. You can muse about fidelity, self control, standards and the like, but teach abstinence and withhold condoms=PREGNANCY. All who doubt that will be gone in a single generation.

Seriously????

I don't believe your post.

I think you are showing off your general knowledge of digital security risk, and putting up a troll post.

If you had a clue, you'd know that local LE doesn't even have the capability, expertise or budget to implement that kind of high-tech mumbo-umbo to go after hookers and tricks. And they wouldn't use it for that even if they did.

Unless you are involved in taliban terrorist crap, or a child-slavery ring, or an interstate criminal enterprise that could reap big rewards with RICO  confiscations, you are at the most  from a beat cop, a regular patrolman who is trained to watch with his eyes and ears and spot "suspicious activity."

Secondary risk is from nosy civilians who get suspicious and report things. Like guys going in and out of motel room.

A recent big bust in the southwest of a "prostitution ring" along with drugs and guns happened because  a patrol cop who was on a standard surveillance for something else, saw a guy with a cell phone walking back-and-forth in outside of a motel.

Turns out he was a pimp and was managing the hookers and tricks in a few rooms.

Look. Get real. Cops don't need that covert spook spy shit to make hobby busts. All they have to do is keep their eyes and ears open and the idiots will present themselves up on a platter.

PGP  encryption , my ass.  LMAO!

Good one!!!

It seems pertinent to look a little more closely at what it is exactly that caused this dust-up in Kennebunk. Allegedly, this woman was running not just a provider/client business, but was taping her clients for who knows what purposes. Here's what CNN wrote:

"Prosecutors say 29-year-old fitness instructor Alexis Wright was paid to have sex with customers in her Zumba studio. She allegedly got help from her business partner Mark Strong, a 57-year-old insurance salesman and private investigator.
Wright is accused of having sex with dozens of men and videotaping many of the encounters. Strong's lawyer, Dan Lilley, tells CNN that prosecutors have given him a list of 150 patrons and a computer hard drive with some videos, with erotic titles, that are part of the investigation."

This behavior of videotaping her clients, if true, is beyond reprehensible, and gives the business a very bad name. What a horrible breach of simple human trust this woman and her "manager" engaged in.

In my opinion, stopping this woman from her exploitive practices is a good use of our tax dollars.

The question gentlemen should be asking is "How do I avoid women like Alexis Wright?"

So, you're saying that you are not here looking for some spiritual connection? The fkin nerve of some of you boys I swear. Yes, only a guy's d*ck would ever let him go through this much trouble lol. We are not exactly curing cancer here, but I digress. Then again, I did hear that regular sex can in fact slow down prostate cancer in men who are predisposed to getting it. Of course, sex with hookers was not a specification.

say things to incriminate yourself during that email exchange, unless you show UP for a meeting, they are not going to just show up at your house because you had conversations with a hooker. It's not that complicated to not get arrested. Now, your info. ending up on some random site, is another thing. Don't give it out.

Rely on references to vouch for you, and don't see women who demand your real name and employment if you are this concerned. As someone else pointed out, what makes you think you are so important that the cops are going to use all that time and money worrying about what you do? Most guys who are generally this paranoid don't even have a high power position at work...funny, those who do have the most to lose are usually the ones upping the info. 2 Senators come to mind lol.

You seem/sound lke a total newbie, so I can see your concern. If you don't have references and expect anyone to see you without providing ANY information, you're going down a bad road. The only girls dumb enough to do that, have their own issues.

It's always nice to brush up on the latest security measures. Are you a member of P411? I believe they take phone calls and write your info on a piece of paper, and then destroy the paper.

I once read a book that said that if you really want to be invisible you should operate in a Faraday cage.

JeffEnglish knows about a lot of this, too, but haven't seen him on the GD board in a while.

I keep your information safe by doing proper screening and thus not becoming a target or in a position to have my information taken from my phone or computer...sounds too simple, I know.  I just wrote a blog post on my website today about why my screening process is so strict and why it should make my clients feel safer not more paranoid.
I don't deal in paranoia...negative thinking attracts negative situations.  Be smart, but understand the power of positive thinking.  This is not naivety, it's the law of attraction.  If you don't believe the law of attraction is real, you haven't learned how to use it yet and seen proof in action again and again and again until it's undeniable.
My thoughts relflect this: I live in a safe Universe that conspires to support me.

Your thoughts reflect this: the world is out to get me and they eventually will

I wasn't trying to get information to use in an investigation. Nor was I trying to show off. I gain nothing by impressing people on an Internet forum. It doesn't get me dollars in my pocket nor does it get me any benefits like being whitelisted. I know there's people on this site who know far more than me about security. They also know more than me about police procedure. As what happened, people who know more than me laugh at me. So if I was trying to show off, it seriously backfired. I went into detail for two reasons. First, I wanted to make a point that law enforcement do search cell phones and computers and can do so easily. The ACLU was investigating reports of Michigan State Police searching people's cell phones for routine traffic stops. Text messages and e-mails routinely are used in drug cases. People do get prosecuted for child porn because their computers do get searched. Second, I wanted to point out that it was easy to encrypt your phone and computer, and that seems to be a relatively good measure for preventing police access.

I'm not trying to approach this from the perspective of police or federal agents hunting for me. I recognize that as a low possibility. My concern is if a provider gets arrested and they seize her records, what's going to happen? I don't think that's an unlikely scenario. What happened in Maine was an egregious case, but it's not the only case of client information being leaked out. For example, within the last month, there was the State Representative running in Florida for Congress who has had to resign because his name and phone number turned up in the papers of the agency. He hasn't been arrested or charged with anything--it was just the appearance of his name alone that was odious enough to quit office. I was trying to get assurance that my information would remain confidential other than "Trust me. I'm discreet."  In California, prostitution is considered a crime of moral turpitude. That can mean a loss of a professional license, even without conviction. The allegation of the conduct is enough. It can also mean deportation consequences. So yes, I take it damn seriously, even if the risks are low.

I acknowledge that I am paranoid to an unhealthy degree, but it is what makes me feel safe. And after having played golf, in no way, do I find it less stressful.

Wow, u can say that again!!

Perhaps a change in venue might ease some of your paranoia, in regards to LE and the hobby.  I know a few hobbyists who aren't really paranoid, but they will not play on the "darkside" for fear of an encounter with LE.  They will only seek providers in countries where prostitution is legal or decriminalized.  Unfortunately in the good ole' USA, the only places where prostitution is legal is at the legal brothels in Nevada, but there's a price to pay (literally) for it being "legal".  Although, you can walk into a Nevada brothel, pay in cash, and remain totally anonymous without the fear of looking over your shoulder for LE.

The way I reduce my risks in the hobby is that I only see well reviewed providers with excellent reputations and who also take care in how they screen their clients.  I've been in the hobby for ca. 13 yrs. and never had any problems or even a close encounter with LE.

Even if a hooker said she did every single thing in your first post, are you actually going to believe it lol. Bottom line...if this is too risky that you literally break into a cold sweat about it, you are not cut out to be here. Try a legal option as was suggested.

No provider wants to spend time with a paranoid, sketchy client. Guys like that make us even more paranoid when we don't have to be, and the date sucks for both parties. If you email a provider with this crap, she is going to just put your mail in spam. You are your own worst enemy here, and again...what makes YOU think that the cops want only YOU? Yes, it is about election time, so take a break for a few weeks until it's done and over with.

You obviously have no problems posting under a handle about such things, so here is a solution for you...just stick to PM correspondence with providers on sites like this, and don't email them at all. Many providers have no problem with that. Get a hobby phone and call her for the location on the day of, then toss the phone. Done deal.

-- Modified on 10/18/2012 10:37:13 AM

Consider using Firefox with adblocker, do not track and most importantly, NoScript and end each browsing session with CCleaner.

For more peace of mind, the only thing you can do is to stick to reviewed providers, and look for descriptions indicating discreet entrances, etc. If you meet up with a lady of the evening who is not reviewed or recommended to you by a fellow hobbyist, you run the risk of being busted, period. All of the high tech safety measures in the world won't help you squat if you are in a hotel room with a hooker and LE comes in. They'll have all they need right there, fair or not.

Avoid lower-end hotels/motels and high-traffic girls. Their services might be great but those are the ones that inspire complaints and LE action, particularly with various hotel staff being 'trained' to spot illegal activity.

Seek out providers who do proper screening. If that means doing some meet and greets to get the green light, do it. They can then be a reference for you with others. Once you are comfortable with a provider, ask her if there is anyone else they might recommend. It might seem odd to ask a provider to recommend someone else but if they do so gladly, I see it as a sign of perspective and balance and hopefully they do as well. If you feel awkward about it, just ask before your next trip, "Is there anyone in Chicago/wherever you could recommend?"

If you are courteous, punctual and enjoyable to be with, you'll get references. If you are overly mistrustful and send off serial killer vibes, you're actually more likely to end up in jail and/or the papers.

Be safe but dammit, have fun!

glowerlord

In most states you would be correct, however in some states it is a cause for concern (NY, VA,MD,DC) for example it should be a concern.

just saying