The Internet makes sex-work safer

An academic study from the University of Leicester in the UK has highlighted some interesting points about what matters for sex-workers. They claim that Beyond the Gaze (BtG) is the largest study to date about safety, working practices, attitudes and regulation.

One of the key findings was that online services were "....of considerable importance in developing services, enabling independent working and greater control over working circumstances, and improving safety strategies." The BtG study also, "confirms that levels of violent crime encountered by internet-based sex workers are considerably lower than those reported in studies of street-based workers.

Although some of these conclusions may be obvious to people working in the industry, it is good to see this type of academic study. Quantifying and describing real-world experiences will help influence public opinion and may help politicians understand and adapt legislation for the general good.

Website | Download study

Bad guys alert

We wrote a while ago about people trying to scam Massage Republic users.

We now need to add another alert. We have just had a couple of reports that advertisers are being contacted both:

• by phone, and,
• using fake email addresses like massagerepublic[something]@gmail.com

They are asking for for an account registration fee to be sent to them (Bkash has been one method they have used).

We don't:

• have a registration fee
• use Bkash
• call people asking for cash, email people asking for cash (if you want to upgrade, do so onsite please
• use any email that is not from @massagerepublic.com

We do know that it can be difficult to know if an email is genuine - so if you have any doubts, contact us and we will assist.

Freedom vs.Oppression?

We live in a weird world. In some ways, individuals are more free than ever to make choices. In others, much less.

The US spends billions each year on pot eradication, then semi-legalizes in some places? Liberal places like the Netherlands and Spain make it legal, then it gets less legal as laws get changed again. Marijuana is simple compared to the complexities of the personal services market....

Massage Republic works to do one thing: help people who want to offer services to do so, at no-cost or lower-cost than other methods.

We started with a 'free' option for providers - alongside the upgraded options - and hope to keep it forever. In total, we have generated more than 5 million contact inquiries to independents. That is a lot of people off the streets and a lot less risk for everyone involved.

Our paying customers are only paying 5% of their gross sales to upgrade listings on the site. Massage Republic has been a great help to many freelancers and independent businesses.

We do what we can to fight unfair or criminal practices on-site. We do extra verification in many cases and are very careful with listings where the provider listed could be underage. We have already contributed real cash and time to programs and charities working to help victims of exploitation and trafficking.

Safety First

Common sense means most people working in this industry let other people know where they are going when possible. The problem is this is often not possible.

If you use an Android phone, you might want to consider a new application that has been launched by Google, Trusted Contacts. It looks like they will be launching an iOS version for iPhones soon and you can register to get a notification when it's available on the site.

You can share your location when you want to, for instance when meeting with a client. There is also a feature where someone you have nominated a trusted contact can - if they are worried about you - ask for a location share and will be able to see where your phone was last located if you don't respond within five minutes. 

There are - obviously - some privacy implications, especially as the share happens automatically unless you respond. Make sure you read the instructions!

More sense in 17 mins than several millenia

Wow, this is a supremely enlightened talk. It properly addresses the real issues and explains many things that people do need to understand. The focus on 'rights' and especially sex workers' rights is so important.


The world is changing, every person like Toni Mac who speaks out and every organisation like SWOU makes a massive difference. Each individual who doesn't get arrested is a win. Each individual who can report violence saves a beating or even a death. These are not small wins - each one really matters. Share this talk please.

A big thank you kiss to reviewers

Nothing makes us happier than to see other people happy. Real reviews seem to having a very positive effect on what we can do in terms of quality.

The efforts made by many Massage Republic users to leave reviews is making a difference for everyone. We have received many messages actually pointing this out - many are from people who didn't feel comfortable making a review themselves - but wanted to say thanks.

When we see something like this:

Girl is the same in the pics ....but complete starfish experience...absolutely no interest from her side ....her mission was to finishing as quickly as possible... - SteveDubai

We know this is useful information for other users...

When we see something like this:

I had some additional spare time on my hands so decided to take in one or two more sessions. So, yet another young lady from massagerepublic (has changed my life !! lol) - georgeunited10

We get to know we're doing something right!

We hope to upgrade the review experience and the profile pages for users in the next months, and make it more fun to contribute and share experiences.

Fraud and scams

It has recently been brought to our notice that some people are pretending to be 'us' and trying to trick advertisers into paying for services (or maybe providing them for free?).

Hello! Just want to check something. I got a call from someone pretending to be a photographer from your website and saying that he has to take the pictures for me because you have a new policy . He sounded very strange...
Thank you!

We will never call you to make a request like this. If you ever have a query, please get in touch with us directly.

In the same way, if you ever receive an email which looks suspicious from us please send it to us. Emails are easy to fake and we would like to know about it. We are always concerned about our advertiser's safety, so any information or tips you can provide will always be appreciated.

Fake reviews

If you are doing fake reviews, you do risk getting your account blocked and also any associated accounts blocked. Don't try our patience.

Abuse

Some advertisers are trying to abuse the system to get more coverage. You cannot post from multiple accounts, repost or try and manipulate the system. It doesn't matter if you are a paying customer or not, all accounts will be blocked.

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Thanks to everyone else (the massive majority) who behaves well and continues to make the site a safer place for everyone on it.