Last week’s edition of The Economist had a very interesting cover story on how technology is “liberating the world’s oldest profession”.
Apps such as Peppr – a new German app that hooks clients and sex workers up – and various booking, review and background checks sites are changing the industry.
This movement online means that sex workers no longer need to rely on brothels, pimps or intermediaries to be able to work – with many choosing to go independent.
Sites like UK-based Ugly Mugs, AdultWork and recently closed MyRedBook offer online bookings, forums for prostitutes to share trade advice, and background and health checks on potential clients.
By looking at 190,000 sex worker profiles on an international review site, The Economist also charts certain trends in prostitution since 1999.
These include the fall in the hourly rate due to the financial crisis in 07/08, and the enlargement of the European Union resulting in an influx of eastern European immigrants, who are willing to charge less.
Read the excellent article here.