LinkedIn: Prostitutes no longer allowed

Professional networking site LinkedIn updated its privacy policy and user agreement, and one particular clause now bans escorts and prostitutes from creating profiles promoting adult services.

According to the terms, users may not, "even if it is legal where you are located, create profiles or provide content that promotes escort services or prostitution."

Prostitution is a "skill" for which you can be endorsed by other users on the site, though the attribute also seems to apply to law firms, legal and advocacy groups, law enforcement and religious outreach groups.

Though some are surprised that sex workers use LinkedIn to build a network of clients from the site's 200 million users, it's no surprise to the many social media-savvy escorts themselves. CNNMoney last month covered sex workers who use the internet to grow their businesses, and many consider themselves entrepreneurs.

Kitty Stryker, a self-described "steampunk courtesan" with a base rate of $350 per hour, has a day job as a social media marketer for a Bay Area startup. "Everything I know about social media marketing I learned doing sex work," she said. "Currently I'm using Hootsuite a lot; I'm using Klout a little bit. I also use Twitter calendar, which is just this simple free thing, but it's got very interesting analytics data."

Siouxsie Q, a stripper, sex worker and activist is proud of her work and talks about it frequently on her podcast. "I have a Tumblr, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, I have two websites, and I have Google Voice," she said.