April 21, 2019

End of service in the US

We are sad to announce we will end service in the US within the next 10 days. Yeah, not cool.

For US advertisers:
  • We recommend you list on Slixa - they have built a high-quality platform covering the major cities in the US & Canada. It is a service being run by people who care about their advertisers, providing leads from high-caliber clients and they have strong testimonials from their current advertisers. Please check them out.
  • Sorry, but your account, listing and associated data will be deleted within 10 days. If you also have a listing in another country, only your listing in the US and its associated data will be deleted.
  • If you want to keep your data make a copy on your computer or phone of the description on your listing, public questions & answers, reviews and download any images.
For US users / visitors:
  • Sorry we won't be able to help any more. Try Slixa
  • We will try to identify US-only users. Those accounts and any associated will be deleted and we will send an email to confirm.
Why are we doing this?

FOSTA/SESTA came from an initiative to combat 'human trafficking' and 'exploitation' (which we, you, and pretty much everyone agrees are very bad things). They were already illegal under US law, but the new legislation added a lot of other things which made life difficult for independent adult sexworkers and any online platform they might use. A few very brave members of Congress and senators voted against it because of the problems they identified in the bills - but politics being politics - they were not fixed. So a 'dumb' law got passed. In the current environment, we are not sure that the challenges to it (like this one) will succeed, so decided to suspend service.

It is making life difficult for US law enforcement to do their jobs, there's a good write up here. It's also making life hard for real people - here's one reaction from an advertiser to our announcement:
This is where my main source of income came from. I'm heartbroken. [...] Rent is due soon and my car payment [...]
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Statement: since FOSTA/SESTA, this site has not billed a single dollar to any advertiser or user, nor has received any other financial income or benefit based on any activity in the US. We assumed a large cost in that period to continue providing service in in terms of listings moderation, advertiser and user support, and costs for bandwidth and hosting.

We maintained service to help advertisers avoid costs (e.g. avoiding enriching intermediaries) and so they could exercise their rights to free speech under the US Constitution.
Individuals advertising services on the platform range from people in a good economic position to those close to or in poverty. We do know from some advertisers that we helped them get 'to a better place'. Many others have asked us to "please carry on and don't stop the site". Unfortunately, we know that suspending service in the US will make life worse any advertiser who is already having trouble surviving. We doubt many legislators who voted for the law understood the real-world effects it would have, or that most US citizens would be in favor of it.

The main justifications for the new law in the US were child exploitation and human trafficking (even if existing laws already covered those things). We have processes in place to identify this type of behavior, stop listings of that type and have never got a complaint for the US about anything like this. Stopping exploitation and trafficking is something everyone who cares about people and building better societies completely agrees with. Confusing these things with the much more complicated debate about what individuals are allowed to do (or not) is not useful. Often, media coverage of these issues often does not look at the root causes, the real effects on people or why the law got passed in the first place. Nor does it call to account the law-makers to do their jobs and revise legislation to actually help people.

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We will make a donation to EFF on the behalf of common sense in the world. In the same way we have donated over the past years to a number of projects to help women and children in vulnerable situations, single mothers trying to escape exploitation and other good causes.

Learn more here https://stopsesta.org
  1. Thanks for the heads up, Claire. Unlike many of your competitors who just randomly wiped all the USA escorts off their servers, unannounced.

    I also suggest Tryst (www.tryst.link) as another escort directory for the USA to use!

    ♥️

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  2. Wow this sucks. You were one of the better sites and brought out the good and respectful clients.

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  3. Anonymous23/4/19 19:27

    Thanks for the free trial and thoughtful

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  4. Thank you for this website which has helped me a lot. I understan why USA service must end and I will miss Massage Republic. Unfortunately
    , without online ads, myself and many others will have to return to street walking.

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    Replies
    1. This exactly is what makes this law bad.

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  5. Dear Claire,

    How SAD 😢 that you have to shut down your US Site!

    Your US Site has been invaluable!

    I Travel some so I will advertise in other Countries with You.

    For me as a Struggling Single Mom your Site many times was Bread and Butter like many other Providers!

    Should anything change on the US Side keep me posted!

    Hugs,

    FtenchMonique

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  6. The fallout from this misdirected law and hypocritical administration is horrible and has had the exact opposite effect here in America. It has put those it was supposedly protecting at bigger risk, forcing traffickers further underground and impossible to stop. It has impacted all providers in the US in a negative way, forcing some into dangerous situations or driving them to near homelessness. I am relatively new to this site and was broadening my horizons as so many other venues to make connections have been shut down for the same reasons. I understand your reasons but am sorry to hear this. Appreciate your accurate explanation of the situation above.

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    1. I started working years ago in E. St. Louis, I'll. Years ago before I knew of Backpage. I remember like it was yesterday girls bodysuit where found, some decapitated & unrecognizable.
      I also understand the human trafficking & the children that are still being exploited today. Their is no answer but to make it legal. For providers to register & have Healthcare like every other job. Just like abortion it's a womans body & it's a womans choice. As a single mom putting her child thru college. Before you judge. Make sure you have all the facts. Like every other woman who makes a conscious decision, McDonalds doesn't pay for college and the government puts our children so far into debt before their life begins. Where is our safe place?
      I will truly miss Massage Republic & I will keep all the men & women in my prayers.
      Mariana

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  7. Thank you for bringing a website to us providers where we were not charged. I and I am sure others appreciate it.
    I do wish to see your website again in the future, maybe being re-routed through another a country and possibly using bitcoin to help you with funding... Sincerly, Lola=LoveOneLoveAll

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  8. Is there a way to copy the reviews into a word file? Ir is the only way us to copy and paste? Ir if u have a phone taking a snapshot? I'd really like to copy and move the reviews to my personal website. Any thoughts on how to do this so integrity isnt harmed?

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    Replies
    1. Sorry, cut and paste is the only way. You can screenshot as well.

      Delete
  9. all of this bullshit is pretty funny to me, u act like your in support of sex trafficking when in reality your just trying to avoid prosecution uner American law, so instead of implementing ID verification youd rather continue to be apart of the problem, no worries tho, ill wont spend my money with yall once u get your shit back in order

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    1. Thanks for the negativity :)

      ID verification doesn't have anything to do with this. It is something we are looking at it, but there's some pretty serious privacy implications. Complex subject.

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  10. The light in me... recognizes the light in you. Thank you so much for your beautiful energy. #namaste @Claire @massagerepublic @massagerepublicclientele

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  11. What is sad is that another site, Adult Search, appears to have a lot of providers who "just came over." Yeah, somebody brought them over for profit but I never got a vibe that any of that was happening on Massage Republic.

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    Replies
    1. We didn't do anything with them, if that's what you were suggesting.

      Delete
  12. Hey, thanks for the explanation as another user posted. What i find funny is that other escort sites like adultsch and topescrts keep going like nothing. Just to name a couple. I dont know if it is because their servers are located in another country or what. I just hope it is not a domino effect in which they will be shutting all the sites down with that fucking FBI seal. Well, its also funny because i just came to the US hoping to find prostitutes easy and i come just in time for all this to happen! What I think will happen if this keeps going is that these women will start street walking again and itll be much worse. You used to see high end street walkers in the hollywood blvd and sunset blvd about 10-11 years ago when i came to live for the first time, now it doesnt seem very usual, but not for long.

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    1. What killed this whole industry and the only way to get and builds fast money that was promised every post u made was Backpage. Only site I had to post on.And was as busy as I wanted.once you figured out the whole bitcoin situation to post, that was the best situation a provider could and will ever have had. Sucks so bad since. I post on like 7 sites a day to stay busy. Ah

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    2. Back page was the 1 and only site where money and clients were fast and promised. I only had to worry about posting on 1 site a day. I was the one whom decided if I wanted to be busy or slow. No other site will ever movelike back page did. They need to bring it back so I can quit listing my ads on 10 dif sites daily.

      Delete
  13. Claire , thank you for providing a safe , free way for providers still recovering from the shut down last year brought to advertise!
    Im saddened that in their haste to just end sex work period that not enough thought was given to the bigger picture ! God knows how many crimes havent occured because of us ..and how many more have happened because of uneducated politicians with no backbone that are too busy kissin ass to ever educate themselves on the real issues , that would require being genuine , and standing for something even if its unpopular, and as we know theres not much of that goin on in this country !
    Be safe everyone , look out for eachother , give our own reviews of clients in our cities to give eachother a professional heads up on potential concerns .
    Love , light & Gods speed !
    Maggie
    Phx,Az

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    Replies
    1. Dont be fooled. They are very educated and am 100% sure they have a few phone numbers at their discretion for when they need companionship or someone just to listen to how good or bad their day was/is. This site will be missed and the security it provided for both hobbiest & provider.

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  14. I appreciate your thorough explanation of what has transpired. Your site has always been my go to site. It's very classy of you to recommend an alternate site for those of us who were loyal users. I hope that eventually you be able to continue business here.

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  15. Thank you for the explanation. I really enjoyed this site; it's a shame that things had to end this way. One more example of creeping fascism in this country.

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  16. If you aren't located in the The United States there shouldm't be any reason you can't be up here. Did authorities threaten you? What happened? I hope you can get the site back up here!

    Thank you
    Olivia

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    Replies
    1. In many places, this is a grey area, and the law isn't clear about whether or not individuals can chose to advertise their time online. The law was made clear in the US and - even if it is still being challenged - we made a call that we didn't wish to continue operating. It is the right of every country to make laws and decide how things should work. For good or bad.

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  17. Slixa doesn't have my city listed. Guess ilI' research other sites.

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  18. Dearest Claire. THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING! IT HAS BEEN AN HONOR! YOUR COMPANY IS AMAZING AND VERY CLASSY! TAKE CARE! I WILL NEVER FORGET YOU AND MASSAGE REPUBLIC!
    SINCERELY,
    Blaze aka "Greeneyes" ❤💙💛💚💜

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  19. This is a bunch of crap. This site made it possible for me to keep my head above water and still remain discreet enough that my husband couldn't find me during our hell of a divorce.ni am saddened to see you go and hope that things might change soon and you can get back up, some of us , more than not, relied on your site to make ends meet and stay safe.

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  20. Very disappointed to learn this. Thank you for having us! We are having a tough time here in NY, especially independents like me. Scary times.

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  21. Thank you for having us and providing a safe space. I am not sure what Independents like me will do.

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