In an era where digital life intertwines with personal privacy more than ever, the fight for online sexual freedom is ongoing. With legislative pushes like the controversial Kids Online Safety Act, state-level restrictions on adult content, and pervasive social media censorship affecting marginalized communities, safeguarding one's digital footprint has become paramount. Data breaches and the evolving data economy further underscore a looming crisis at the intersection of sexuality, privacy, and technology.
To navigate this complex landscape, we've turned to those who are often at the forefront of digital discretion: sex workers. Their lived experience necessitates a keen understanding of online security, offering invaluable insights for anyone looking to bolster their digital defenses. Here are their top five tips for staying safe online.
1. Identify Your Personal Security Goals
"The first step is to genuinely assess the risks you want to avoid," advises Josie Oakley, a Pittsburgh-based dancer and escort. "Are you worried about family discovering your online history? Hacking? Stalkers? Or perhaps tech companies and government surveillance? Each concern demands a different set of countermeasures."
This foundational step involves thinking about potential negative outcomes and tracing the online breadcrumbs that could lead to them. For example, consider online payments. Recent financial discrimination policies, initially "beta-tested" on sex workers, are now impacting a wider range of customers deemed "high risk" by banks.
If your concern is hackers: Limit sharing credit card information. Opt for third-party payment services like PayPal or Venmo, which offer enhanced security layers.
If your concern is privacy from loved ones: Use a separate credit card or prepaid gift card for sensitive online transactions.
If your concern is government or tech surveillance: Use cash payments where feasible. Some privacy-focused services, like Mullvad VPN, even accept cash by mail to ensure customer anonymity.
2. Minimize Data Connections Across Applications
"Avoid cross-contamination of data between apps," recommends Hacking//Hustling, a sex worker-run tech collective, in their dox-prevention guide. Using unique login credentials for each online account is crucial. If one site suffers a data breach, your other profiles remain secure. Never reuse email and password combinations.
The very existence of an account can be sensitive information. Whether it's a medical specialist or an adult website, the need for privacy grows as the data economy expands. As Ada Hamilton notes in her "Sluts for Security" series on the Tryst blog, "An email address is a great way to track you across the internet."
Platforms like Fastmail and Proton Mail offer features to auto-generate new email aliases, routing messages to your primary inbox without exposing your main address. A password manager can then meticulously track these unique email aliases and generate strong, unique passwords for every online service.
Minimizing these data connections drastically reduces the information a malicious actor can easily piece together. Even when the utility of certain data points isn't immediately obvious, anticipating future technological advancements and maintaining good digital hygiene is a powerful preventative measure.
3. Scrub Metadata (Like Location) From All Shared Media
Metadata—extra information embedded in digital files—can include sensitive details like location data or identifying information about the file creator. You could be unwittingly sharing more than you intend. While some platforms like OnlyFans and Instagram automatically strip certain metadata, this isn't universally true.
An anonymous Atlanta-based sex worker, who primarily creates digital video and photography content, advises: "Make sure you have GPS settings turned off for your camera apps. You do not want to accidentally send a photo over text or email and give away your address."
Always review the settings of your media-sharing and creation apps to understand what extra information they embed. Regularly checking and disabling GPS settings for your camera and photo editing apps is a critical step.
4. Cover Faces, Instead of Blurring
As facial recognition technology rapidly advances, carefully consider where your face appears online. Whether you're a parent protecting your child's image, a political activist, or simply seeking privacy in shared photos, fully covering faces is a superior approach to blurring. "Many types of blurs can be undone programmatically," warns tech security expert and pro dominatrix Mistress Fae on her Substack. "A dedicated stalker can use readily-available online tools to recover your facial features."
Always meticulously check photos for other identifying markers: tattoos, unique background elements, or even reflections in mirrors. Fae recommends opaque methods of obstruction, such as solid emoji stickers, instead of semi-transparent filters or light leaks that might still reveal underlying features. The less identifiable information, such as parts of a building or a partially obscured face, the harder it is for malicious actors to piece together a larger picture.
5. Utilize Encrypted Applications
Sex worker communities frequently need to adapt quickly when app censorship or risky data practices emerge. For any application you use, always take the time to review its security settings. Disable location tracking and minimize publicly visible personal information. For instance, an app might by default share your "last online" timestamp; consciously decide if you want to broadcast that information. App permissions can also reset during updates, so periodically re-checking these settings is a wise habit.
New Zealand. These sites understand the need for privacy and operate within the unique legal framework of New Zealand, aligning with the very principles of digital discretion advocated by sex workers.
By adopting these tips from those who master discretion as a matter of professional necessity, we can all cultivate a safer, more private digital existence.
