I don’t think we will ever find a just in the middle solution where everybody actually say yes to a safe method for both clients and SP.
The important jobs and profession is always the best argument when a client don’t want to actually make the SP feel safe meeting. It automatically sends the message to the brain (my brain) that SP safety ( human beings like you) isn’t that important compared to a job. I understand privacy is important but anonymity is not okay. Clients have full picture of us with fake information or not doesn’t matter; they know more about our persona then we know about them. And all we got is a text from a random guy who wants to book us without any further information. Had a lot of people inquiring saying « I have a big job i require privacy » but don’t want to give anything: no reference; no deposit; no screening. And what hurts the most is that those same people tells you they follow you on social media and see your reviews or are even a board member but doesn’t want to give you even the member handle so you can double check.
I may repeat myself but i am a bit lazy to go reread all the previous pages (its a conversation that has been expending to multiple months). I know its just MY opinion and opinions are personal but i just can't see how any type of "conventional screening" can really make any providers that safer. Maybe for "thiefs" and/or clients refusing to pay for services to a degree, but beside that? Technology has advanced so much that there is cameras everywhere, including in streets, appartement buildings, halls and so on. The truth is there is a a ton of ways for providers to have our "picture" in SOME way and feel protected. Our faces are more than enough for the police to identify the person if he does something very bad. But if all goes well, its just a face on a porch or in a corridor, Its not incriminating per say and i don't feel anyone would really bother wasting their time to watch security footage to do screencaps and share them. When an SP has the litteral governement issued IDs of someone, it looks suspicious. Some says its ok to blur the "infos" but you still get a name attached to a face.
The real safety IMO does not come from gathering a lot of sensitive infos about someone but rather everything related to how you actually meet. For instance choosing incall only until you feel safe with someone (or even always incall), equiping your incall with the proper equipement or staff or host in a classy hotel (or visit there can be an option).
In the very rare cases of SPs being murdered or severly injured, when you analyze the situation just a little bit you see that there was a lot of issues regarding security of the environement where it happened. I think this is the key step to take before anything else. And if some psychopath just wake up and decide "today im murdering a sex worker" well i don't think he is gonna pick the high end indies at big prices and inquire by email or whatever. Likely these peoples have lost control with reality and/or are desperate and they know they will end up in jail (or dead). You can't really be safe anywhere no matter what. Look at these random attacks with "ram vehicules". Totally random, just some nutjob who wanted to murder peoples, knew he was gotta be caught, didn't care.
What im trying to say is you could do all the screening in the world and still get that guy that decided "today is the day" and know he is gotta be caught and just don't care. Unless you have an acces to police database and said person has registered offense, you won't even know he could be dangerous.
You mention we have your pictures etc. Lots of SPs advertise with blurred faces and we don't have real names either.
To quote Rosie,
Clients are afraid for their reputation.
Providers are afraid for their lives.
First clients also risk their litteral physical lives. How many stories of clients getting threaten with weapons or by multiple big guys. Secondly, its not my case, but for someone their career is their litteral life. As long as prostitution will be illegal and seen as "bad" in society, if someone get exposed, he will loose it all and for him that could mean his life is ruined. I said it in the past, i don't condone seeing escorts when you married or have a girlfriend. I know guys have all their reasons that they feel are valid to them and again, opinions...personal, so im not really refering to this specific side, but their lives could be impacted so hard... And sure in general for an SP to "expose" a client, he need to do something bad, but look at what happened not that long ago with a specific SPs that doxxed a client just because he didn't understand what she wanted and she lost patience. Sure she got called on all side (both clients and SPs) and likely had to rebrand to get clients again, but just to say these can happen.
Im not as old as some other members, i only meet since 2009, but internet (and this board) been around since the start of the 2000s (i seen some members with 2003 registering dates) and really this extensive screening at least to my knowledge only been a thing since a few years. At least in Canada. I imagine it was borrowed from the neighbor in the south. I remember a few "things" like reference or board handles or only 4 stars hotel meeting, but ID screening was NOT a thing and deposit either. I get its likely as technology became more present (easier to take a cellphone pic, and everybody has them pretty much now, than needing a scanner at home to scan an ID to send by email)
But when it comes to deposit i understand more, because i know there is a ton of time wasters, trolls and such. This make more sense to me. BUT i feel if deposit has to be done, it should be allowed to be done in an anonymous way, like an Amazon gift card or something. Unless im just not aware of it, it seem internet transfers do include names.
Anyway this is an endless debate and i don't think any side will change their POV on it, no matter how much we debate. I do agree tough that giving a board handle (if you been around for a while and have been active, so your handle actually mean something) should be fine for any clients that want to book an indy. Personally this is the alternative i can offer. If they want to verify its really me, we can exchange DM and that way they will know they are safe with me. I know im far from being perfect, i do have my opinions and sometimes i express them badly, too directly, (i never been someone with lots of social skills) but when it comes to actual meetings you can't be safer than with me
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I honestly just want this business to be fair, safe and enjoyable for both providers and clients. And i DO care about providers a lot. Im very thankfull for all the good times i had since i started and i could never had without them.
