Our mission is to build products and services to empower sex workers.
Our projects
Assembly Four was founded on the belief that impact is more important than profit. We strongly believe that having the ability to make decisions about our bodies and sexual lives is a fundamental human right. Anyone should be able to make these choices without fear, violence or discrimination. Sex workers are still fighting for this right.
In collaboration with sex workers across the globe, we create products and services that help them thrive, not just survive. Our small team of sex workers and technologists based out of Naarm, Australia uses our specialised understanding of the complex challenges workers face to provide solutions which amplify their voices.
Stepping away from clunky design and carelessness of traditional ad platforms, Tryst is a refreshing change in both presentation and mission.
Designed not only to provide workers with an easy way to manage clients, but also with privacy, safety and security at the top of our priority list. Tryst, like Switter, has been built while avoiding the use of US companies, prioritising the privacy of the workers who reside on our platforms.
Although early days, we are proud to say that we have already implemented features that radically change the way escorts advertise, including wider options around gender and race, dedicated disclosure options for transgender workers, and in-platform messaging.
Early 2018 saw the passing of US law FOSTA/SESTA which resulted in the mass culling of millions of sex workers worldwide from the internet. This placed thousands of people at heightened risk of physical harassment, violence, and even death.
We started Switter as the first step to giving Sex Workers their autonomy back. Before its closure, Switter amassed over 200,000 users with over 5.5 million status posted in a mere 10 months. The space was open to anyone involved in the sex industry—providers, clients, and allies. It was an open and free community where sex workers have the ability to connect, advertise and screen.
Switter was built on Mastodon, the world's largest free, open-source decentralised microblogging network.
Lola is a passionate integrated marketer and sex worker focused in human rights and community collaboration. Lola has spoken at many events including the United Nations Internet Governance Forum and Netthing outlining the integral role technology plays in the lives of sex workers.
Twitter: @misslolahunt
Eliza is an infrastructure and security specialist who believes in building software that empowers people. Dedicated to the digital rights movement, Eliza is an organiser of the Security & Privacy track for PyCon Australia and presents educational workshops across Australia for Sex Workers with the help of peer organisations.
Twitter: @zemmiphobia
Jack, more commonly known as "chendo" in the Melbourne tech community, is technology-oriented problem solver who has worked in a diverse range of industries, including e-commerce, telemedicine, smart home, and fintech. He's now applying his 20 years of engineering experience to improving the lives of sex workers with technology.
Twitter: @chendo
At Assembly Four, we believe in being part of the important conversations that are central our working environment. The full decriminalisation of sex work worldwide is absolutely vital to the safety of vulnerable people, including those that use our platforms. We believe in activism and in amplifying the voices of sex workers and their interests. We usually like to leave the direction of activism to the experts who have overseen the industry for decades, but given our background and expertise in tech we do often speak on digital rights panels and the like to help bridge the gap between the tech and sex work communities.
As technologists we recognise that upholding the rights of sex workers is often not at the top of the list of priorities for digital rights organisations. Our position at the nexus of sex work and technology allows us to advocate for sex workers rights in digital spaces in a unique way. We have been given the platform to include our values in multinational conferences and conversations. Conferences we have participated in include the United Nations Internet Governance Forum, Ruby Conf AU 2020, Open Net Korea, and New Zealand's KiwiCon. We have also spoken on many podcasts and radio shows such as Reimagining the Internet, Triple R's Byte Into It and Triple J's The Hook Up
Our Youtube channel contains a playlist of our recorded talks. You can check out some of our favourites below.
In September 2020, Assembly Four co-founder Lola Hunt spoke at a panel at Netthing 2020, a forum on Internet Governance in Australia. The forum encouraged open dialogue about voices being amplified and supressed in digital spaces.
Lola's panel, entitled 'Whose Voices Are Elevated & Whose are Silenced Online?' examined the the tension between content moderation, policing and censorship in light of modern American digital legislation. Alongside Lola, the panelists included the founder and director of Salty Carlie Fitzsimmons, author Yassmin Abdel-Magied and community activist Celeste Carnegie.
At Assembly Four we seek out those digital forums which promote progressive values and encourage communities' safe use of the internet. We certainly hope to be able to continue engaging with the academic and activist discussions around our industry.
In February 2019, Assembly Four founders Jack and Eliza attended RubyConf AU in Melbourne. Switter was born out of the exodus of sex workers from digital spaces after the United States passed the misguided and destructive FOSTA/SESTA series of legislation.
At RubyConf, Jack and Eliza spoke about the need to create open available digital spaces for marginalised communities. Assembly Four built Switter to specifically cater to sex workers pushed out of Twitter and other social media organisations. We believe we are part of a community that perhaps for the first time is taking back control of the services we use.
Eliza and Jack were invited to speak at Ruby Conf AU about our work at Assembly Four, and we presented a dual speaker talk about how internet legislation is eroding the internet as we know it.
