WhatsApp blocks Dutch sex workers, cutting off their income
WhatsApp blocked the accounts of at least five Dutch sex workers last year, cutting off their primary channel for arranging client appointments, a Pointer investigation found. The blocks also made it harder for support services to provide urgent assistance to sex workers.
Meta-owned WhatsApp took the actions in the same period that it removed dozens of queer accounts on Instagram. WhatsApp suspensions are not publicly visible, meaning possibly more sex workers were affected without public notice.
Sex workers in the Netherlands, where the work is legal, depend on WhatsApp for client bookings and safety. The blocks have raised concerns about a U.S. company limiting legal livelihoods here.
Pointer interviewed affected sex workers; the Sekswerk Meld- en Adviespunt (SMAP); and digital rights group Bits of Freedom, all of whom voiced worries over Meta’s role.
“Sex work is legal here and should therefore be able to be offered legally online,” said Sandra Beckerman, a lawmaker from the SP. She linked it to a conservative shift in the United States. “Tech companies like Meta are going along with that to gain a better political and economic position. Unfortunately, that has major consequences for LGBTQ+ people and other marginalized groups in the U.S. but, thus, also in the Netherlands.”
Felicia — not her real name — said her account was suspended at least three times in recent months, always on evenings when contacting clients via WhatsApp. Meta provided no explanation. She regained access through online appeals but could not schedule new appointments during the suspensions.
In another incident, a sex worker’s screen went black during a paid video call on her personal WhatsApp account immediately after receiving payment and undressing. Her Instagram and Facebook accounts were deleted in the following days. She lost unsaved client data and conversation histories.
Frankie Hermsen, SMAP spokesperson, said the impact was significant for legal work in the Netherlands.
“She is now missing all her client data and conversations,” Hermsen told Pointer. “Most clients use WhatsApp, so that causes an enormous loss of income. As a result, sex workers can be less selective in the clients they accept. And that again increases the risk of violence.”
All cases involved personal accounts, not WhatsApp Business accounts, where erotic services are prohibited.
The knowledge and expertise center SHOP in The Hague was also hit. Late last year, Meta removed its Instagram account, accusing it of involvement in human trafficking and exploitation. A helper’s WhatsApp account was blocked at the same time. Both were later restored.
“For us it is shocking that we received an automatic notification from Meta in which it was stated that we apparently contribute to human trafficking. While we are precisely an organization that actively combats human trafficking,” said SHOP spokesperson Merel van Altena.
The blocks disrupted SHOP’s operations for weeks. The helper could not answer questions from sex workers, including non-Dutch speakers facing urgent needs.
Some sex workers worried Meta was reading messages, but Rejo Zenger from Bits of Freedom told Pointer that is unlikely due to end-to-end encryption. Meta can see group names, phone numbers in groups, video call starts, and external signals such as user reports or numbers listed on sex ad sites.
Zenger called the affected sex workers “canaries in the coal mine.”
“That applies to many marginalized groups. They are the first to feel the blows of restrictions on democracy. Because they are not in the safe middle, but on the edges of society. So when that space is narrowing, they always suffer from it first,” Zenger told Pointer. “And Meta currently has the power to say, 'This group does not appeal to us, so we are less careful with them.'"
Meta said it could not comment on individual cases without account details from Pointer. Based on the described information, a spokesperson saw no policy violation warranting the blocks. The company declined to address the consequences of wrongful suspensions, such as lost income and reduced safety.
