[ISN] Britons go 'toothing' for sex with strangers

[InfoSec News]

http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/04/21/1082395891416.html

[Who would have thought a security vulnerability would lead to wild 
anonymous sex? :)  - WK]


London
April 21, 2004

British commuters take note - the respectable person sitting next to 
you on the train fumbling with his or her cell phone may be a 
"toother" looking for sex with a stranger. 

"Toothing" is a new craze where strangers on trains, buses, in bars 
and even supermarkets hook up for illicit meetings using messages sent 
via the latest in phone technology. 

"Toothing is a form of anonymous sex with strangers -- usually on some 
form of transport or enclosed area such as a conference or training 
seminar," says the Beginner's Guide To Toothing on a website dedicated 
to the pursuit. 

It is made possible by Bluetooth technology which allows users to send 
phone contacts, pictures and messages to other Bluetooth-enabled 
equipment over a range of about 10 metres. 

Users discovered they could send anonymous messages to people they 
didn't know with Bluetooth equipment, spawning a craze dubbed 
"bluejacking". 

Jon, aka "Toothy Toothing" and the guide's author, explained toothing 
was born after he was "bluejacked" by an unknown girl while commuting 
to work in London. After a few days of flirting, she suggested a brief 
encounter in a station lavatory. 

"The meeting wasn't a romantic thing - it was purely sexual. Barely 
anything was said," he said via e-mail. 

He said potential toothers begin by sending out a random greeting -- 
usually "Toothing?". 

"If the other party is interested, messages are exchanged until a 
suitable location is agreed -- usually a public toilet, although there 
are tales of more adventurous spots such as deserted carriages or 
staff areas," his guide adds. 

Jon, who's in his 20s and works in finance, estimates there could be 
tens of thousands of toothers from all sorts of professions and 
lifestyles. Certainly the website's message board is busy. 

"Any toothing on these trains?" asks one message about services 
between Cambridge and London, prompting positive responses from 
"Dannyboy" and "Zeke". 

"I'll be around London Bridge mainline station around 9.45 - 10am 
tomorrow if anyone's interested...," another messager called "Boi" 
wrote hopefully. 

While some happily recount their successful encounters, others suggest 
there are a few teething problems with toothing. 

"I tried toothing in Tooting (south London) last night... not a device 
to be found," a frustrated "Snowdog" posted sadly. 

Although clearly not what the industry had in mind, toothing may lead 
operators towards similar, more mainstream projects. 

Last month it was reported that a team in Boston had created a service 
for cell phones called Serendipity, an wireless alternative to online 
dating. 

It allows subscribers to store their personal details and what they 
want from a partner. When there are enough similarities between two 
people and they happen to be in the same area, it tells their phones 
to communicate with each other. 

Dario Betti, of the British-based consultancy Ovum, said bluejacking 
had really taken off, helped by the fact the service was free. 

"The element of the unknown, that you are connecting to someone around 
you that you might not know, it's a novelty factor that is helping it 
to start," he said. 

If Jon and those who use his forum are right, toothing is certainly 
livening up life for some bored commuters. 

"A lot of my day's taken up with a soul-aching commute into the city, 
and that just feels like dead time," Jon said. 

"Flirting is fun, sex is fun. We're just employing expensive, complex 
toys to find the most basic form of entertainment."