Sluts for Security: Managing Anonymity Online for Sex Workers

Ada Hamilton -

Back in 1993, Peter Steiner made a little cartoon for the New Yorker of two dogs, one sitting at a computer, with the caption, "On the internet, nobody knows you're a dog". 30 years later the original artwork for that cartoon sold for US$175,000, a reflection on the cultural impact it had, capturing a unique time in society where anonymity on the internet was expected.

The anonymity of the internet 30 years ago still exists, but it's much harder to maintain thanks to the data industrial complex and a general lack of respecting other people's privacy as the internet becomes intertwined with our daily lives.

This article aims to limit your identity being revealed on the internet and reduce the damage should that happen. It's not perfect, doesn’t cover all scenarios and there's likely new techniques, services, and software that can reveal your identity in a way this article doesn't acknowledge. Think of the information presented here as a baseline, a bare minimum, rather than a 100% foolproof solution.

Why Do We Need Anonymity?

There's places where sex work is illegal and people there obviously need to remain anonymous on the internet or they'll face severe consequences. There's people who live in places where sex work isn't totally illegal, but still has a strong stigma attached to it, so they need to remain anonymous online as to avoid negative reactions from other people. There's also people who simply want to be anonymous for no reason in particular, but anonymity allows them to express themselves in a way they can't when their offline identity is attached.

Regardless of the reason why someone uses internet anonymity, it is vital to protect it and avoid what's known as doxxing – the act of publicly providing personally identifiable information about an individual. Sometimes this can be accidental, be it by someone you know or by yourself and sometimes it can be deliberate, usually as a form of inflicting shame, extortion or intimidation.

Security, Security, Security

It feels like I mention this in every article I write, but these basic internet security measures go a long way to ensuring people don't go snooping around your digital life and leaking anything they find.

Check App Permissions

The apps on our smartphones are little data sucking goblins which if given the opportunity will report your location, internet activity, who you talk to, your contacts and a multitude of other info, not only to the app's developer, but to the manufacturer of the phone, the phone's operating system and to third parties. It's important to regularly check the permissions each app on your phone has to collect and share data, as sometimes they can be reset with an update or you may have provided an app permissions in the past that you no longer want.

Google has a list of privacy related settings on Android and what they do, along with instructions on how to change them. Apple has a similar support document for iOS. These can get quite overwhelming thanks to the incredible amount of data these devices collect. That's sadly the price we pay for using them.

Not only do you need to check your device's settings, but you also need to check the settings in the apps and websites themselves. Social media apps in particular have their own privacy settings that often need reviewing. The New South Wales Department of Education has a good list of settings to adjust on various platforms.

Metadata

Sometimes there's little traces in the things we post that while may not be obvious at first glance, can accidentally leak information if someone's paying very close attention. This article won't list all the things that can give away your identity as that unfortunately also provides useful information for nefarious actors, but take this general advice and apply it to your specific scenario and keep it in mind when sharing information online.

  • Review images and documents before making them public. Pretend you're looking to out someone, what do you see that could do that?
  • Don't rely on redaction tools entirely, particularly scribbling over images with built-in drawing tools. This can be reversed and information exposed.
  • Scrub all metadata from photos and documents. This is important as your location or real name can be revealed without you even knowing.

Keep Accounts Separate

It's common for sex workers to have multiple phone numbers (one for personal use, one for work), but you should also probably have second accounts for practically every online services so they're not linked to your offline identity. Don't use the same email address, don't use the same calendar, don't use the same cloud storage (photos, videos, etc) and don't use the same social media accounts. If possible, use separate bank accounts/money transfer services.

If you can afford it, purchase a second device (laptop, smartphone, etc) and be vigilant to only do work activities on your work device and everything else on your personal device. This reduces the chances of you logging in, posting or communicating as your online identity on your offline identity and vice-versa.

You may also want to take the opportunity to use more privacy focussed services than the traditional Big Tech companies like Microsoft, Google and Apple for your sex work related tasks.

What To Do When Your Identity Is Revealed?

Despite all your best efforts, it's still possible that your offline identity is linked to your real world identity somehow. It's a good idea to plan ahead for this scenario and what you'll do when it happens so if the day does come, you're prepared and not in shock. There's unfortunately not much you can do to reverse what happened but you can limit the damage done.

  • Delete social media, email and other accounts linked to the outed identity.
  • Report any identifying information to the website/platform/app operator for removal.
  • Don't panic and hand over money or more personal information to anyone claiming they can "clean up" the mess.
  • Double check you have multi-factor authentication enabled and reset any passwords on accounts you can't delete.
  • Check with any local authorities about replacing ID (e.g: drivers licenses, passports), getting new bank accounts/credit cards, etc. depending on what has been leaked online.
  • If you have someone you can trust, get them to monitor the situation for you so you don't have to deal with the emotional labor under stress.

Protecting Your Anonymity Is Tough and Never Ending

It can be shattering when something you want to keep secret ends up public and out of your control. There's no 100% correct way to do any of this and it constantly changes. We're all just trying our best in the face of devices and platforms that don't take privacy seriously, making it difficult to retain the anonymity many of us work hard to maintain.

  • Read our previous blog posts on securing your digital accounts.
  • Constantly review the privacy permissions of devices, apps and websites you use.
  • Create separate accounts dedicated to sex work for services like email, calendar, messaging, etc.
  • Carefully review all information you post online for traces of hints that could out your identity.
  • Use separate devices to avoid data linkage and accidental posting of private information.
  • Be mentally prepared for a doxxing as even after following everything here, it can still happen.

Extra Resources

Scarlet Alliance
https://redbook.scarletalliance.org.au/getting-started-in-online-non-contact-work/

UK Revenge Porn Helpline
https://revengepornhelpline.org.uk/how-can-we-help/other-help-and-support/online-privacy-tips-for-sex-workers

Hacking//Hustling
https://hackinghustling.org/doxxing-prevention-harm-reduction-training/

Equity Labs
https://equalitylabs.medium.com/anti-doxing-guide-for-activists-facing-attacks-from-the-alt-right-ec6c290f543c

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