Sex workers leave Twitter, flock to Switter over new US law
Washington, June 30: Sex workers have almost completely vanished from Twitter, and instead have flocked to the Austria-based Switter.at after passing of a controversial US law that is aimed at curbing underage sex trafficking, the media reported.
The sex workers have been all over social networks for more than a decade now with Twitter in particular, providing them with a flurry of useful tools to screen potential clients, find customers without the help of a pimp and stay anonymous.
The new law, known as FOSTA/SESTA (Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act/Stop Enabling Sex Traffickers Act), passed in April by the US Congress with bipartisan support, purports to combat online sex trafficking by holding internet service providers criminally liable for what users might create on their platforms, the USA Today reported late on Friday.
According to the law, online content that promotes or facilitates prostitution is punishable by up to 10 years in prison.
"This bill means any site sex workers use, even in their personal life, can be held liable. This will only force many more workers into the hands of exploitation and street work … there is a much higher chance of ending up in a potentially life threatening situation," a spokesperson for Assembly Four, the Melbourne, Australia-based firm that runs Switter and its associated site, Tryst, through an Austrian domain, was quoted as saying.
As a result, sites such as Reddit, Craigslist, Skype -- vital to sex workers in the US -- has already responded to the new law by silencing or banning sex workers from their platforms, the spokesperson, who asked to remain anonymous, said.
Moreover, this law also has far-reaching consequences even for those who have nothing to do with sex work, as it paves the way "for a potentially fully censored and manipulated internet in the future," he warned.
The sex workers chose Switter.at, because prostitution is legal in Austria, and they can ply their trade without breaking any laws, the report said.
The homepage of Switter looks a lot like Twitter's TweetDeck, and allows members to search for clients or escorts based on location, as well as providing a means of communication for the sex work industry, enabling life-saving conversations like sharing client lists.
"Switter is run by sex workers and technologists who have sex workers at the front of their mind when developing new features. Shadow banning sex workers on Twitter has been around long before FOSTA/SESTA. Since the introduction of the law it's only become worse," the spokesperson said.
The site is much safer than Twitter for the sex workers, because it requests "very minimal information from our users, we actively remove any known pimps, cases of human trafficking or anyone seen as harassing workers".
The company currently has around 100,000 escorts and allies on its site, and continues to grow every month.
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41 lakh illicit liquor seized, 1.84 lakh arrested in major drive: K'taka Minister tells Assembly
Belagavi (Karnataka) (PTI): The Karnataka Excise Department has conducted a statewide crackdown on illegal liquor trade over the last two years, resulting in arrests and seizures of alcohol, Karnataka Excise Minister R B Timmapur said on Tuesday.
As many as 1,09,017 people were arrested, and seizures included 13.66 lakh litres of liquor and 27.19 lakh litres of beer, he said in a written reply to a starred question by Harihar BJP MLA B P Harish in the Karnataka Assembly.
The Minister said the enforcement drive covered the financial year 2023–24, 2024–25 up to June, and 2025–26 from July to October, targeting unauthorised liquor manufacture, storage, sale and transportation across the State.
"During this period, statewide enforcement drives resulted in a total of 1,84,570 raids against illegal liquor sales,” Timmapur said.
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He noted that 9,179 non-bailable cases and 91,968 bailable and compoundable cases under Section 15(A) of the Karnataka Excise Act, 1965, were registered during the same period.
According to him, there have been no reports indicating that students have become addicted to alcohol due to illegal liquor sales.
The sale of alcohol to minors is strictly prohibited under the Karnataka Excise Act, 1965, and the department has issued periodic instructions to initiate legal action against violators, with strict enforcement and investigation measures in place, the Minister said.
Excise officials are carrying out regular road and night patrols, collecting intelligence, monitoring habitual offenders and conducting raids to identify illicit distillation units, unauthorised liquor outlets and spurious liquor manufacturing centres, he said, adding the department is also enforcing the law to prevent the production, storage, sale and transport of spurious, non-duty-paid and unauthorised liquor.
Regular patrols are being conducted on national and state highways, with suspicious vehicles being subjected to checks.
At the district level, standing committee meetings are held under the chairmanship of Deputy Commissioners, and joint operations are carried out with the police and forest departments to curb excise-related offences.
The department is also conducting awareness programmes through Gram Sabhas and in schools and colleges to educate the public and students about the physical, mental and social health hazards associated with alcohol addiction and substance abuse, Timmapur added.
