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Being safety and privacy aware can help to protect you...

Privacy tips quick look

• Have a fake work name and stick to it.  Apart from having practical benefits it serves as a great way to distance yourself from work when you need to.
• Always have a separate work phone.
• Have separate laptops, tablets and computers that you use for work if possible.
• Have separate work and personal emails – this is the best way to protect your privacy.
• Always use separate photo images from your personal life and personal profile on social media and remember that images, numbers, social accounts and names can be searched by anyone on the web.  So again – fake names, separate numbers are always best.
• Have separate social media accounts, never merge them and remember which is which: work and personal and never the twain shall meet.
• Know as much as possible about any app/website/advertising platforms you use, how they work and their data protection policies.  Specifically check the sites policies on external advertising and ownership of your content and images.
• If working from home make sure you don’t have personal/family pictures, documents with your real name on or other personally identifiable information anywhere in view.
• Don’t give the address you work from or even local area out in your advertising.
• Try not to include pictures of your premises in your advertising no matter how appealing it might look.
• Some privacy breaches are against the law.  You might want to report this to the police.  You can do this directly or ask National Ugly Mugs case worker to help you to do this.
• Read up on protecting your privacy online and keep up to date as things change.

This is an excerpt from Safety and Privacy for Online Sex Workers produced by Beyond the Gaze. The information has been written and produced by sex workers and has been informed by the Beyond the Gaze research.  Get your full document here

It's good to know key personal safety practices sex workers use and what you can do if things go wrong...

Safety tips quick look

• Do some pre-checks before taking a booking: sign up to National Ugly Mugs to use their safety tools and receive warnings about potentially dangerous individuals to avoid.
• Use sex worker forums and other email/number checking systems as part of your pre-booking screening routine.
• Always, if possible, have a check-in buddy.
• If things go wrong and/or you feel something isn’t right, call or alert your check-in buddy or your driver (if you have one) using a pre-arranged system.
• If your client becomes aggressive, violent or is attacking you in anyway, try to get away from them if you can.  Don’t worry about causing a scene – safety comes first.
• If you are in a hotel and can leave the room, don’t think twice about running down the corridor, if you can, and alerting reception staff.  Don’t stop to pick up clothes or other belongings – try to get away and to a safe place.
• Have and use a personal safety alarm or panic button.
• If it’s an emergency – call the police at the first opportunity on 999 – it’s free.
• Send an SOS through an SOS app if you have one installed.
• Most modern phones have GPS trackers on them so if you have a one button system for 999 – leave the phone line connected – they may be able to trace you.
• Wherever you work- if in trouble try to attract the attention of others – if you shout a specific instruction like ‘Call the Police’ you are more likely to alert someone.
• After the incident, warn others: report to National Ugly Mugs to get a warning out and get in touch with their case workers if you need any support.

This is an excerpt from Safety and Privacy for Online Sex Workers produced by Beyond the Gaze. The information has been written and produced by sex workers and has been informed by Beyond the Gaze research. Get the full document here.

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