Background & Introduction
Beyond the Gaze (BtG) was a three-year study of the safety and working conditions of online sex work in the UK and is the largest study to date of this sector. By online we mean those who use digital technology to run their business and specifically to safety screen and protect their privacy. You might be an independent escort (in call or out call), pro dom, pro sub, webcammer or agency worker. Whilst the following information is primarily for those who offer face-to-face services, the safety and privacy tips can also be helpful to other sectors of the industry. We also have a section on camming.
Please share with other sex workers posting a link to this PDF or our flyers on forums or send to other sex workers you know, especially those who are new to sex work. Maybe you work with someone whose first language isn’t English, you might want to share some of this safety information with them, sharing our Romanian and Portuguese language flyers.
Thank You! Beyond the Gaze would like to thank all the wonderful sex workers who took part in, promoted or championed our study of online sex work. We could not have produced this information without you!
Our Resources to Download
BtG has produced ‘Safety and Privacy for Online Sex Workers‘, this has been produced by sex workers and informed by findings from BtG. The information resource is available here on our website as web based text or you can down load a PDF.
A number of resources have been produced with safety & privacy tips for use by sex workers and projects, with information extracted from the wider information resource. These are designed to promote the wider information but are a resource in themselves.
Download our flyer ‘Safety & Privacy Tips Quick Look’ in English at these links: Privacy tips Safety tips
These are also available in Romanian Privacy tips Safety tips and Portuguese Privacy tips Safety tips.
Download our trifold leaflet ‘Safety & Privacy for Online Sex Workers’ Front Inside.
Our Approach
Our approach in producing these safety tips has been to:
- Value the expertise within the sex worker community: The tips have been written by sex workers who work in the online sector and some have worked as part of the Beyond the Gaze research team. The tips are informed by responses from over six hundred online sex workers who took part in the BtG survey. Some other professionals who are not sex workers have contributed to areas of the information; these are people who have knowledge about safety or specific issues that can affect sex workers and have many years’ experience of working with sex workers.
- Recognise the diversity of jobs, experiences and preferences about safety and privacy measures amongst sex workers. We share these tips aware that everyone has different preferences in the safety methods they use and will make their own choices.
- Recognise some people are more IT savvy than others, some have greater access to different equipment/technology and resources, so may be able to put in place tech related safety stuff others are not able to or might find it harder to. You can only do what you are able to do. Ask other sex workers on forums’ private groups for advice.
- Recognise that health and safety risk assessment is important in sex work as it is in all jobs – in most jobs risk assessment is carried out and strategies are put in place to reduce risk, this is important also for people in sex work. Risk is part of everyone’s work and non-work life and it’s important to minimise risk where possible.
- Recognise that a large section of online workers are lone workers and some of the personal safety issues faced in the sector are also issues for lone workers in other sectors of the labour market formal and informal.
- Recognise that the safety measures sex workers employ can be limited by the current law and policing. Some suggestions may be difficult to apply in some work situations. Adapt the information and advice given to your own working situation. Periodically review your safety practices so you can adapt as any new risks emerge, your working practices change, or new technologies develop that you can use in your safety repertoire. Talk through any of the info with other sex workers or a local sex work project if there is one in your area. National Ugly Mugs can advise you about which projects are in your area. Please see (link to section) for contact details.
- Know that most bookings go without incident – these tips are to help protect against that minority of people who are a problem for sex workers.
- We are 100% clear that crimes and other incidents committed against sex workers are the fault of those committing them. Sex workers like all people in all areas of the labour market have a right to work free from harassment.
- Be aware of your rights and options for advice, support and reporting to third parties or the police if you need help. In the Reporting Options, Sex Worker Forums, Sex Worker Rights Organisations and Sex Work Projects and Useful Links sections, you will find links to support and reporting services.
Within the sex industry, whether we are aware of it or not, we are carrying out risk assessments all the time. Sex workers are good at risk assessment. From the first enquiry to the actual booking, we are weighing up our potential clients for safety – will they respect our boundaries? Do they understand safer sex? What will their behaviour be like? Respectful? Aggressive? If for some reason a client has slipped through our screening net, or if they suddenly change their behaviour in a way that makes us feel unsafe, there are certain steps we can follow, as described in this safety document.
N.B. The following safety information is not exhaustive, and things change all the time including the technology that can be employed in safety screening and crime prevention/reporting. We have also purposefully omitted some practices that some sex workers use, and we have avoided giving too much detail on some safety procedures to protect your practice. This is on the advice of sex workers. Whilst the authors have tried to ensure the accuracy of the text we accept no legal liability for any errors or omissions. This document is not intended to replace qualified legal, psychological or medical advice.
Top Tips – The Basics
Here are some safety and privacy basics, before we go further into the screening process, that many sex workers use:
- Have a safety screening routine that you stick to, using practices such as:
- Join sex worker forums and schemes such as National Ugly Mugs, Ugly Mugs Ireland and SAAFE where you can check warning alerts about people who have created problems for sex workers. (See section on warning and reporting schemes)
- Use phone number and email checkers.
- Using a buddy system for both in and out calls: let your buddy know when you or the client arrives/leaves. (Go to buddying section).
- Always have a fully charged mobile phone (and if possible a backup in a place you but not customers are aware of).
- Program it to a speed dial number which it can call at one press – make this the number of the police, your buddy or a friend.
- Be alert and aware of your customer and the environment, plan your exit routes wherever you are working.
- Always insist on payment up front.
- Always trust your gut instinct.
- Communicate prices, services you do and don’t provide as part of boundary setting & safety messaging in your profile/wider marketing. (Go to boundary setting, advertising & safety).
Periodically review your safety practices so you can adapt as any new risks emerge, or your working practices change, or new technologies develop that you can use in your safety repertoire. We will look at crime specifically later but be aware of what is a crime. See the what’s a crime and the reporting sections.
- Take steps to protect your privacy and identity online:
- Have a fake work name and a work persona.
- Have separate phones, social media accounts and emails for work and personal.
- Don’t reveal your real name.
- Think about if you want your face in your advertising images. Many people avoid face photos or blur/pixelate.
- Frequently google yourself with your work and personal name. Most public privacy breaches can be found this way. It is worth noting that if you find a privacy breach steps can then be taken to have information removed.
N.B. The following safety information is not exhaustive, and things change all the time including the technology that can be employed in safety screening and crime prevention/reporting. We have also purposefully omitted some practices that some sex workers use, and we have avoided giving too much detail on some safety procedures to protect your practice. This is on the advice of sex workers. Whilst the authors have tried to ensure the accuracy of the text we accept no legal liability for any errors or omissions. This document is not intended to replace qualified legal, psychological or medical advice.
This information may be subject to revisions and updates.