I want to start a blog about being an escort
June 19, 2014 3:06 PM Subscribe
For many reasons, I think it could be entertaining and educational for me to blog (anonymously, and with identifying details removed) about my experiences as an escort. However, I have a few questions that I'm dealing with.
-The anonymity/legality thing. I will sign up for the blog via a throwaway email address of course, but there is ISP tracking and there might be other concerns that I have not factored in. What other concerns (as far as issues relating to legal stuff or my identity being found out) should I consider?
-I would certainly not be the first one blogging about this. I don't need to set myself apart to get attention, but I would like to address underexplored topics to shed light on aspects of the job and humanize the people who choose to do it. What topics might interest you as a reader?
-Finally, I have no idea what to title the blog! I prefer a title that isn't too descriptive but kind of gets at it obliquely. Something from art or music or literature is good.
-The anonymity/legality thing. I will sign up for the blog via a throwaway email address of course, but there is ISP tracking and there might be other concerns that I have not factored in. What other concerns (as far as issues relating to legal stuff or my identity being found out) should I consider?
-I would certainly not be the first one blogging about this. I don't need to set myself apart to get attention, but I would like to address underexplored topics to shed light on aspects of the job and humanize the people who choose to do it. What topics might interest you as a reader?
-Finally, I have no idea what to title the blog! I prefer a title that isn't too descriptive but kind of gets at it obliquely. Something from art or music or literature is good.
You can use Tor whenever you blog which will make ISP tracking nearly impossible. It encrypts your traffic and routes it through dozens of other Tor users' computers.
https://www.torproject.org
posted by AaRdVarK at 3:40 PM on June 19, 2014 [5 favorites]
https://www.torproject.org
posted by AaRdVarK at 3:40 PM on June 19, 2014 [5 favorites]
Tor will be slow. But use the portable Tor/Vidalia bundle so you have a browser application you launch separate from the one you normally browse the web with.
My advice is to come up with a unique handle, and then make sure you google it so you know it's not in use. Then, using Tor, grab all of the accounts you might need, so no one spoofs you later. Twitter, tumbler, blogger, livejournal, gmail, yahoo, reddit, and whatever else. Use a different password for each. You may in the end only use one of them, but it's best to grab them while you can, just in case.
You can tie these accounts into something like https://hootsuite.com/
Do not click any links or pics people send you via email unless you are in your portable tor browser, as your IP can be traced otherwise.
posted by Catblack at 4:24 PM on June 19, 2014 [6 favorites]
My advice is to come up with a unique handle, and then make sure you google it so you know it's not in use. Then, using Tor, grab all of the accounts you might need, so no one spoofs you later. Twitter, tumbler, blogger, livejournal, gmail, yahoo, reddit, and whatever else. Use a different password for each. You may in the end only use one of them, but it's best to grab them while you can, just in case.
You can tie these accounts into something like https://hootsuite.com/
Do not click any links or pics people send you via email unless you are in your portable tor browser, as your IP can be traced otherwise.
posted by Catblack at 4:24 PM on June 19, 2014 [6 favorites]
If you really want to be anonymous, I'd buy a burner phone with unlimited texting and use a text to post mechanism (most blogs have them).
In keeping anonymity, you can't mention your city, streets or restaurants around you, your name or clients names (obvs), your car, your day job, what school you went to — these are all details that can lead to piecing together who you are.
There are two other things to add: First off, unless you have famous clients, it's pretty unlikely that you're going to need that level of security. Nobody really cares unless you're participating in, say, group blogs or fora or something, and a fair amount of what's written about your blog idea is fictional. But it's generally just not worth anyone's time to delve. Second off, most people who have done this and been uncovered have had that happen because they were writing roman a clef stuff about their clients.
posted by klangklangston at 4:24 PM on June 19, 2014 [2 favorites]
In keeping anonymity, you can't mention your city, streets or restaurants around you, your name or clients names (obvs), your car, your day job, what school you went to — these are all details that can lead to piecing together who you are.
There are two other things to add: First off, unless you have famous clients, it's pretty unlikely that you're going to need that level of security. Nobody really cares unless you're participating in, say, group blogs or fora or something, and a fair amount of what's written about your blog idea is fictional. But it's generally just not worth anyone's time to delve. Second off, most people who have done this and been uncovered have had that happen because they were writing roman a clef stuff about their clients.
posted by klangklangston at 4:24 PM on June 19, 2014 [2 favorites]
Do it for yourself, privately, and publish it when you're in another line of work, a different city, or not seeing those specific clients and in a place to lose this stream of revenue.
Or write it heavily fictionalized, and market it as fiction (fiction can certainly contain serious themes and humanize escorts.) Keep the theme, lose the details, write what you know, make your point but not about you.
posted by blnkfrnk at 7:19 PM on June 19, 2014 [2 favorites]
Or write it heavily fictionalized, and market it as fiction (fiction can certainly contain serious themes and humanize escorts.) Keep the theme, lose the details, write what you know, make your point but not about you.
posted by blnkfrnk at 7:19 PM on June 19, 2014 [2 favorites]
Check out Belle de Jour. The linked wiki page should lead you to at least one interview with her where she discusses her experience, which might be helpful or interesting for you.
posted by snorkmaiden at 7:46 PM on June 19, 2014 [2 favorites]
posted by snorkmaiden at 7:46 PM on June 19, 2014 [2 favorites]
I would think using a proxy or VPN service like HideMyAss would do the trick in conjunction with using an unidentifiable email address as you mentioned. It's not like you need military grade security.
posted by Dansaman at 10:19 PM on June 19, 2014
posted by Dansaman at 10:19 PM on June 19, 2014
As for a name for your blog, it very much depends upon what kind of flavor or tone you want to give the blog.
posted by Dansaman at 10:29 PM on June 19, 2014
posted by Dansaman at 10:29 PM on June 19, 2014
How To Blog Anonymously (and how not to)- Belle de Jour
posted by Tunierikson at 11:53 PM on June 19, 2014 [2 favorites]
posted by Tunierikson at 11:53 PM on June 19, 2014 [2 favorites]
Say you want Google Analytics on your blog (as many do), take the same precautions when signing up there. I remember a while ago someone had an anonymous blog, and a reader managed to piece together who they were because the writer had used the same Google account for their analytics on a non-anonymous website.
I looked it up, there's an article about it: Think You Can Hide, Anonymous Blogger? Two Words: Google Analytics.
posted by bjrn at 2:06 AM on June 20, 2014 [2 favorites]
I looked it up, there's an article about it: Think You Can Hide, Anonymous Blogger? Two Words: Google Analytics.
posted by bjrn at 2:06 AM on June 20, 2014 [2 favorites]
I'm an attorney with some relevant experience. I am not soliciting you as a client, nor am I offering you legal advice. But if you'd like to chat, I've made my email address visible. Good luck.
posted by cribcage at 7:32 AM on June 20, 2014 [2 favorites]
posted by cribcage at 7:32 AM on June 20, 2014 [2 favorites]
Mod note: Comment removed; please approach Ask Metafilter in good faith and take askers at face value, or skip the thread if you're not comfortable doing so in a specific case.
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posted by cortex (staff) at 4:07 PM on July 14, 2014
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