The x_msg telephony server was developed as part of the x_msg project. It was developed to respond to the most prominent social problems that the women in the industry face. It meets the need for anonymity, considers language barriers, and uses the most common, but private, technology: the mobile phone.

Its premise is simple: a piece of amateur-coded open source software that redirects text messages to networks of sex work activists, while costing them the price of a single text message. The system operates via a DIY telephony server and uses a second hand mobile phone with a Pay As You Go “unlimited” texts service. The phone is connected via a USB cable to the recycled computer that operates the server.

It was created by Alexandra Joensson and Cliff Hammett, and is presently in use by x:talk. To find out more, visit xmsg.org.uk