4 ms·

Well, the precise type of "sunlight" needed is that prostitutes and clients don't need to hide their business from the police, and can conduct their business in

Well, the precise type of "sunlight" needed is that prostitutes and clients don't need to hide their business from the police, and can conduct their business in a publicly visible building, which the police can inspect at any time (to follow up on reports, or just go check that all the girls have valid-looking IDs, which can be followed up on if their suspicions are raised). Whether you hide your patronage from people who know you is a different matter. (The medical system is a good example in this respect: hospitals and other facilities are absolutely not hiding their presence from anyone—quite the opposite, really—but the fact that you visited Doctor Jones to treat your potentially embarrassing medical condition is considered very confidential information.)

austincheney 6y ago
Medical privacy only exists because of HIPAA and doctor-client confidentiality. Neither of those would apply to the legalization of sex work. Your opinion is valid, but you chose a poor example for comparison.
- waterhouse 6y ago
  Only, eh? Direct quote from the website of Nevada's Bunny Ranch: "Moreover, a Bunny Ranch encounter is entirely discreet, taking place in a private environment where the deepest, most intimate secrets of clientele remain confidential." It would very much hurt the Bunny Ranch's reputation if they reneged on that; it seems clear that confidentiality is something many of their customers value highly. Just because the law doesn't mandate confidentiality doesn't mean the customers won't expect it and reliably get it.
  - austincheney 6y ago
    Seriously? You are confusing a company’s privacy claim for criminal law.
    - waterhouse 6y ago
      My point was that "a service operates in the open" is compatible with "the customers of the service require confidentiality". Medical services are an example of that, an example in which people think that the need for confidentiality is so high that they made laws for it. If they need a similar law for prostitution, they could pass one (I wouldn't be surprised if one already exists for a sufficiently broad category of "theraputic" services), but I doubt it would be necessary—at a brothel, only someone who verifies ages even needs to see a client's ID (and I suspect they could cover up the name); and as I said, it's strongly against the brothel's interest for there to even be rumors of non-confidentiality. I suspect a law would only move it from 99% privacy to 99.9% or something.

austincheney 6y ago

Medical privacy only exists because of HIPAA and doctor-client confidentiality. Neither of those would apply to the legalization of sex work. Your opinion is valid, but you chose a poor example for comparison.

waterhouse 6y ago
Only, eh? Direct quote from the website of Nevada's Bunny Ranch: "Moreover, a Bunny Ranch encounter is entirely discreet, taking place in a private environment where the deepest, most intimate secrets of clientele remain confidential." It would very much hurt the Bunny Ranch's reputation if they reneged on that; it seems clear that confidentiality is something many of their customers value highly. Just because the law doesn't mandate confidentiality doesn't mean the customers won't expect it and reliably get it.
- austincheney 6y ago
  Seriously? You are confusing a company’s privacy claim for criminal law.
  - waterhouse 6y ago
    My point was that "a service operates in the open" is compatible with "the customers of the service require confidentiality". Medical services are an example of that, an example in which people think that the need for confidentiality is so high that they made laws for it. If they need a similar law for prostitution, they could pass one (I wouldn't be surprised if one already exists for a sufficiently broad category of "theraputic" services), but I doubt it would be necessary—at a brothel, only someone who verifies ages even needs to see a client's ID (and I suspect they could cover up the name); and as I said, it's strongly against the brothel's interest for there to even be rumors of non-confidentiality. I suspect a law would only move it from 99% privacy to 99.9% or something.