5 ms·

Well, more accurately, they appear to have come for the pimps.

by bmpafa 9y ago

GCU-Empiricist 9y ago
How is coming for the webpage that acts as a marketplace coming for the pimps?
- bmpafa 9y ago
  I was using 'pimps' as short-hand for the people brokering sex worker transactions, be they platform admins or some guy named Icepick. My sense is that, in most cases, sex workers do not act as their own agents, so I see backpage as a platform catering to pimps et al. Though I guess there's an argument to be made that sites like backpage make it easier for sex workers to disintermediate pimps, which I imagine would be a good thing.
  - troncjb 9y ago
    > My sense is that, in most cases, sex workers do not act as their own agents Your sense is totally wrong. Sites like craigslist and backpage make it easier for sex workers to pre screen johns. Cold street approaches are nearly impossible to screen and very dangerous, hence pimps. This shutdown further entrenches the dominance of pimps over sex workers and makes sex work significantly more dangerous.
  - always_good 9y ago
    No. Sex workers regularly screen clients. Right from their phone. There are even Geocities-like web services that they can get a webpage at that have built-in screening workflows. And screening-agent-as-a-service's exist that will middleman for the sex worker. Shutting down online marketplaces removes the safest options that sex workers have.
    - oneshot908 9y ago
      And if you combine this nonsense with the pending SB 1204 in California, just the act of helping someone screen a client (or even handing a streetwalker a condom) will become pandering and therefore a felony punishable by 3+ years in prison. Do you feel safer yet? http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=201720180SB1204 http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml...
  - AFNobody 9y ago
    > My sense is that, in most cases, sex workers do not act as their own agents, so I see backpage as a platform catering to pimps et al. Just fyi, you are mistaken. That is the whole reason they have to force/traffick people and trap them rather than just recruit. Anyone here legally and does that sort of sex work has mostly moved away from the pimps. > Though I guess there's an argument to be made that sites like backpage make it easier for sex workers to disintermediate pimps, which I imagine would be a good thing. Legal adult citizens who were prostitutes were doing exactly that. Pretty much since "online personals" became a thing, sex workers quickly removed all the intermediaries beyond the ads.
    - djrogers 9y ago
      > Anyone here legally and does that sort of sex work has mostly moved away from the pimps. Nice rose-colored world you’ve got there. It may be that the ones you interact with are all 21st century liberated online safe sex workers, but spend some time in the real world. Volunteer at a women’s shelter or a neo-abolitionist organization like A21, talk to cops who work in vice - pimping (the ugly side with the beatings and the forced drug use) is still very much a thing, even online.
      - oneshot908 9y ago
        So why make it a felony to do sex-worker outreach then? Because that's what being proposed in California with SB 1204. http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=201720180SB1204 http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml...
      - AFNobody 9y ago
        > Nice rose-colored world you’ve got there. It is based upon, among other things, setting up and working with such people via sites they could share bad date lists among other things once upon a time. My view is colored by actually talking to such people over the years. I had to shut that particular project down recently as I'm not willing to take the legal risk. > It may be that the ones you interact with are all 21st century liberated online safe sex workers, but spend some time in the real world. Volunteer at a women’s shelter or a neo-abolitionist organization like A21, talk to cops who work in vice - pimping (the ugly side with the beatings and the forced drug use) is still very much a thing, even online. You are simply stating "Well, it isn't 100% solved so clearly you are delusional." It will never be 100% solved. No problem that involves the abuse of human beings for profit can be 100% solved in a capitalist society and the delusion it can be is genuinely harmful. It simply creates more destruction. I'm sorry but this fantasy utopia where you can simply make things illegal and actually have 100% prevention is delusional to the point of harmful to real human beings.
loceng 9y ago
Their plan is to free the sex workers from bondage then? No pun intended..
- loceng 9y ago
  -3 votes? Seriously, what's wrong with asking this, asking for clarification? The Reuters article, nor the screenshot of the website with the takedown message on it, says what their overall purpose or goal of the takedown is. We can assume it's related to related to sex trafficking and child exploitation, however it doesn't state if it's for more than that. It's a pretty big deal for a website to be seized.
  - Natsu 9y ago
    I think that read as a bad joke, explaining the downvotes. That said, your question about what is going on is legitimate and you can find more background on them here: https://www.hsgac.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/Backpage%20Report%202017.01.10%20FINAL.pdf https://www.hsgac.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/Backpage%20Report...
    - loceng 9y ago
      Fair. Thank you, I'd be curious to see what the other side says, what comes out in court. And yes, that would be a bad joke - added the no pun intended to clarify it wasn't a joke.
deleted 9y ago
[deleted]

Well, more accurately, they appear to have come for the pimps.

by bmpafa 9y ago

Well, more accurately, they appear to have come for the pimps.

GCU-Empiricist 9y ago

How is coming for the webpage that acts as a marketplace coming for the pimps?

bmpafa 9y ago
I was using 'pimps' as short-hand for the people brokering sex worker transactions, be they platform admins or some guy named Icepick. My sense is that, in most cases, sex workers do not act as their own agents, so I see backpage as a platform catering to pimps et al. Though I guess there's an argument to be made that sites like backpage make it easier for sex workers to disintermediate pimps, which I imagine would be a good thing.
- troncjb 9y ago
  > My sense is that, in most cases, sex workers do not act as their own agents Your sense is totally wrong. Sites like craigslist and backpage make it easier for sex workers to pre screen johns. Cold street approaches are nearly impossible to screen and very dangerous, hence pimps. This shutdown further entrenches the dominance of pimps over sex workers and makes sex work significantly more dangerous.
- always_good 9y ago
  No. Sex workers regularly screen clients. Right from their phone. There are even Geocities-like web services that they can get a webpage at that have built-in screening workflows. And screening-agent-as-a-service's exist that will middleman for the sex worker. Shutting down online marketplaces removes the safest options that sex workers have.
  - oneshot908 9y ago
    And if you combine this nonsense with the pending SB 1204 in California, just the act of helping someone screen a client (or even handing a streetwalker a condom) will become pandering and therefore a felony punishable by 3+ years in prison. Do you feel safer yet? http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=201720180SB1204 http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml...
- AFNobody 9y ago
  > My sense is that, in most cases, sex workers do not act as their own agents, so I see backpage as a platform catering to pimps et al. Just fyi, you are mistaken. That is the whole reason they have to force/traffick people and trap them rather than just recruit. Anyone here legally and does that sort of sex work has mostly moved away from the pimps. > Though I guess there's an argument to be made that sites like backpage make it easier for sex workers to disintermediate pimps, which I imagine would be a good thing. Legal adult citizens who were prostitutes were doing exactly that. Pretty much since "online personals" became a thing, sex workers quickly removed all the intermediaries beyond the ads.
  - djrogers 9y ago
    > Anyone here legally and does that sort of sex work has mostly moved away from the pimps. Nice rose-colored world you’ve got there. It may be that the ones you interact with are all 21st century liberated online safe sex workers, but spend some time in the real world. Volunteer at a women’s shelter or a neo-abolitionist organization like A21, talk to cops who work in vice - pimping (the ugly side with the beatings and the forced drug use) is still very much a thing, even online.
    - oneshot908 9y ago
      So why make it a felony to do sex-worker outreach then? Because that's what being proposed in California with SB 1204. http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=201720180SB1204 http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml...
    - AFNobody 9y ago
      > Nice rose-colored world you’ve got there. It is based upon, among other things, setting up and working with such people via sites they could share bad date lists among other things once upon a time. My view is colored by actually talking to such people over the years. I had to shut that particular project down recently as I'm not willing to take the legal risk. > It may be that the ones you interact with are all 21st century liberated online safe sex workers, but spend some time in the real world. Volunteer at a women’s shelter or a neo-abolitionist organization like A21, talk to cops who work in vice - pimping (the ugly side with the beatings and the forced drug use) is still very much a thing, even online. You are simply stating "Well, it isn't 100% solved so clearly you are delusional." It will never be 100% solved. No problem that involves the abuse of human beings for profit can be 100% solved in a capitalist society and the delusion it can be is genuinely harmful. It simply creates more destruction. I'm sorry but this fantasy utopia where you can simply make things illegal and actually have 100% prevention is delusional to the point of harmful to real human beings.

loceng 9y ago

Their plan is to free the sex workers from bondage then? No pun intended..

loceng 9y ago
-3 votes? Seriously, what's wrong with asking this, asking for clarification? The Reuters article, nor the screenshot of the website with the takedown message on it, says what their overall purpose or goal of the takedown is. We can assume it's related to related to sex trafficking and child exploitation, however it doesn't state if it's for more than that. It's a pretty big deal for a website to be seized.
- Natsu 9y ago
  I think that read as a bad joke, explaining the downvotes. That said, your question about what is going on is legitimate and you can find more background on them here: https://www.hsgac.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/Backpage%20Report%202017.01.10%20FINAL.pdf https://www.hsgac.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/Backpage%20Report...
  - loceng 9y ago
    Fair. Thank you, I'd be curious to see what the other side says, what comes out in court. And yes, that would be a bad joke - added the no pun intended to clarify it wasn't a joke.

deleted 9y ago

[deleted]