Seedy text messaging has hit the headlines recently with claims about the private life of a world class footballer

But a craze called Toothing may soon make that look very tame. The name comes from their use of Bluetooth - a short-range communication feature on some phones. It is being used to find like-minds who want an anonymous intimate encounter. "Toothers" beam phone numbers between handsets in places such as bars, restaurants and train stations. Toothers are beaming their numbers between phones for sex From here, they use conventional text messaging to organise their meeting place and what they want from the encounter. The practice of "Toothing" has spread around the internet like wildfire. One practitioner is Jon, a "Toother" living near London. "One morning I received an anonymous text message via bluetooth," he told BBC News. "I didn't understand what had happened, but that evening I did some research and worked out how to send my own." The pair started to exchange messages on a train station platform; messages which got gradually more flirty. "Eventually she asked me if I fancied a quickie in the toilets at the station we were travelling to. "It happened, but I never saw her again." In some ways this is a tame way of picking people up. Linda Blair, psychologist Since that day Jon - who claims to have had Toothing success five times - has set up a website dedicated to the practice but he admits it takes a degree of perseverance. The forum on the website even goes as far as organising places to meet for Toothing encounters. Psychologist Linda Blair, from the University of Bath. says the practice of Toothing is down to the human need to take risks. "I think we protect ourselves too much in modern society, and risk is a human need. We need motivation," she said. "In some ways this is a tame way of picking people up, it's almost a natural follow up from randomly picking people's names out of the phone book. "It's voluntary at all stages, and has choice. As long as that's there and it's legal, then people should be able to do what they want." Sue Peters from the Terrence Higgins Trust warned that anonymous sex can also carry a great deal of risk. "Sexually transmitted diseases are on the increase in the UK. One in 10 people under the age of 25 have Chlamydia. "Oral sex can also carry risk, especially through bacterial infection. "I don't want to put a dampner on people's sexual practices, but we would advise them to be careful."

It is everywhere you look, from ads for phone sex chat lines to escort services and then there are the stag and hen night parties to massage parlours in the South's booming resorts like Bournemouth and Brighton.

And then there are the stag and hen night parties to massage parlours in the South's booming resorts like Bournemouth and Brighton. Sex is the internet's hot topic, with at least half a dozen south coast based sites dedicated to the sex trade. But beneath the Lads Mags chat and the girls wearing bunny girl T shirts there is a story of real human misery. It is the 21st century slave trade. Women brought from Lithuania or Latvia to the South coast to work in massage parlours that are really brothels. According to Hampshire police 80% of the sex trade here is now controlled by organised gangs from Eastern Europe and the Far East. The police try to break up illegal brothels when they can, using intelligence to track the pimps who run the girls. The Home Office is funding the 'Poppy Project' to help the women break away from the financial and emotional dependence on those who brought them to this country. The problem may be growing, but the solution is not straightforward. When girls who have been brought to this country against their will - trafficked - are sent back to their country of origin some end up being re-trafficked within weeks. Maria was brought to England from Albania when she was 18. She told the Politics Show "If you have to deal with traffickers, even if you go away from them, they will find a way to contact you. "What I have been through was stressful. I couldn't eat, I couldn't sleep. "I couldn't even go to look out of the window I was too scared of them." Amnesty International are campaigning for victims of trafficking to be given the right to stay in the UK. It would mean adopting the European Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings. The convention would allow temporary residence permits for victims who assist with prosecutions, or who would be in danger if they returned home. But some believe this would allow anyone in the country illegally to claim they had been trafficked. And some sex workers say the Police emphasis on raids of brothels, and the Home Office crackdowns are distracting from initiatives to improve the lives of prostitutes. Julie Davies from the Sex Workers branch of the GMB union describes new initiatives on prostitution as "Dickensian." She argues that if women and punters were not treated as criminals then those making money from the sex trade would find their profits quickly disappearing, and with it the criminal gangs that turn sex into human misery.

'Dogging' craze sex disease risk Al fresco sex is increasing, say experts

The internet and text messaging are fuelling a practice which involves unprotected sex with strangers in public parks. Health chiefs in Kent have taken to posting messages on sites promoting "dogging" - warning of a rise in sexually-transmitted diseases. They say the craze may be partially responsible for rises in chlamydia, HIV, syphilis and hepatitis. More than 20,000 people are registered with one UK "dogging" newsgroup. Dogging is an extension of "swinging" parties - and involves exhibitionist sex in semi-secluded locations such as car parks or country parks. The location of dogging "events" is now frequently advertised on websites or communicated via mobile phone text message. Those attracted by these messages may simply act as voyeurs - or be invited to participate. Disease rise The NHS Health Promotion team covering the Medway area in Kent noticed that the number of cases of hepatitis rose towards the end of 2002, and some patients said they had probably contracted the illness as a result of dogging. They decided to post messages on the dogging sites warning of the risks of unprotected sex. We've talked to people who do this - they are having unprotected sex with nine or more people in a week Dr Richard Byrne, Harper Adams University College One reads: "Avoid the sex lottery for yourselves and your associates." It recommends NHS-sponsored safe sex websites. One academic who has carried out a study into dogging suggests that modern technology is leading to a swift rise in the numbers taking part. Dr Richard Byrne, from the Rural Affairs and Environment Group at Harper Adams University College in Newport, carried out a survey of country park rangers asking them about "anti-social behaviour" in their parks. He expected their prime concern to be vandalism and fly-tipping, but found that many complained about the rise in the use of their park as a venue for sex. He said: "One newsgroup about dogging has more than 22,000 registered users - and one we saw which set itself up only a few weeks ago already has almost 700. "It's a nationwide activity and in the last four or five years it really has grown." Many partners He said that the health threat should not be underestimated: "We've talked to people who do this - they are having unprotected sex with nine or more people in a week. "The issue of sexual health is a big one." Legally, the issue of dogging is a grey area - "doggers" are committing no offence unless they are witnessed by a member of the public who can be defined as "outraged" in the eyes of the law. A new sexual offences Bill currently moving through Parliament may give the police more options to tackle the issue, particularly if it takes place in a location where it is likely that an unwitting member of the public is likely to witness it. However, ministers say it is not their intention to criminalise outdoor sex in a public place that is sufficiently isolated as to make witnessing unlikely. And while voyeurism on unknowing subjects is likely to become an offence, if there is consent, there is no offence committed. Other dangers Dr Byrne said that because dogging operated at the "fringes of legality and social acceptability", those taking part were at risk. He said: "There is the potential for younger and more vulnerable people to be drawn in - certainly there is heavy use of alcohol associated with these events, and there is anecdotal evidence of rohypnol (a "date-rape" drug). "There are concerns that prostitutes will be drawn to areas where dogging is common, and that other types of crime will increase." He said that, in country parks at least, changes to the design of car parks might help curb their use as venues. However, he added: "You can't simply increase the amount of lighting - that just makes it easier to make videos or take pictures."

Phone technology aids UAE dating By Heather Sharp

BBC News, Dubai Bluetooth user Ahmed says he is into poems As part of a series on young people in the Middle East, the BBC News website discovers how technology is aiding the secret liaisons of young men and women in the conservative culture of the United Arab Emirates. It happens in malls, cinemas and cafes - in Dubai's notorious traffic jams, and now by mobile phone. Many of the city's black-shrouded UAE girls say they cannot check out the latest fashions in Zara or sip a smoothie in a cafe without being bombarded with the phone numbers of hopeful admirers. THE CHANGING UAE UAE population has increased roughly eightfold since 1975 Less than a quarter of the population are UAE nationals An influx of workers from Asia, the Middle East, Europe and the US make up the rest of the population In terms of GDP per capita, the UAE is among the world's 25 richest countries Among UAE nationals - as the minority of the UAE's residents that are not expatriates are called - it is generally considered impolite for a man to speak to a woman he is neither married nor related to in public. Traditionally, a young man's first amorous approach to a woman is supposed to be a marriage proposal made by his parents to her parents. But the cards, scraps of paper and mobile phone messages that pass from male to female are testament to the double existence of some young UAE nationals as they take their love lives into their own hands. Wireless advances One technology is proving particularly useful. Our governments are all corrupt and, though there is some change for the better, nothing is really improving Rasha, Bahrain Middle East youth: Your views Bluetooth is a feature built into some mobile phones which enables the user to transfer data to another wireless device nearby. But crucially, it also enables one person to contact another within a 10 metre radius without knowing their phone number. Ahmed Bin Desmal's friends joke that he is a "Bluetooth king". The 20-year-old says he has used the technology to send notes to girls he sees in public places. "In our country it's very rude to go up and talk to them," he says. "I sent some notes, they liked them - they took my number and they called me. I say nice things - I'm into poems." While to many like Ahmed, Bluetooth is just a way to start a conversation, for some it can go much further. Usually only married or engaged UAE couples go out in public Mohammed, 24, does not know how many girlfriends he has had. He prefers expat girls because he can take them to the beach or to parties, but finds Bluetooth useful when pursuing locals. "In some areas you can't talk to a girl except through Bluetooth." His flirtations by phone and other means sometimes end in sex. Even with national girls, it is possible to keep it secret: "Hotels, flats, houses, anything - there's always a way," he says. But he wants to marry a virgin eventually: "The girls I have sex with are different from the girls I would marry - these girls want to play around," he says. Choosing a wife But not all are like this - far from it. At Dubai Men's College I meet several bright, studious young men. I don't think I'd have a love marriage - family marriage is a bit more risk-free Maryam Abdullah Bin Bilaila, 19 Most want to wait until they are established in careers and in their late twenties before marrying. Few have had friendships that would approach the Western definition of a girlfriend. "If I tell you I don't think about it, it's a lie. Every day I meet a lot of women, but in the end if you can control yourself that's something good," says Salim Alakraf, 25. For them the issue is how much they will be involved in choosing their wife. "Nowadays people are really open-minded, although we still follow our culture. If I'm working with a girl and I think she is suitable for me, I can ask my family to go and ask her family about her to see if she is suitable," says Saeed Suwaidi, 27, the leader of the student council. 'Perfect talk' Among national girls, it is virtually impossible for a young woman to admit to clandestine meetings with boys, although from the tales young men tell, it is clear that these take place. Bluetooth can be used to locate and contact nearby devices Even being friends with such a girl can damage a reputation, a word that comes up often. And while some would like to meet their future husband "by coincidence" or through work, there is still caution about "love marriages". "I don't think I'd have a love marriage. It's not that I don't want one, but our contact with guys is not that good, and a guy talks his perfect talk when he sees a girl so it could be a misjudgement. Family marriage is a bit more risk-free," says accounting student Maryam Abdullah Bin Bilaila, 19. Instant messaging But other young people are treading a cautious, secretive path towards love marriages, aided by technology. Ahmed, 26, is in love with his girlfriend of five years, but neither of their families know. Dubai's traffic jams provide opportunities to exchange numbers They talk often by mobile phone, but their meetings are limited to the 10 minutes between her leaving work and arriving home. "Yes, I think I will marry her. We've had a long relationship, for five years. She knows all my secrets, I know her secrets," he says. And Saud, 22, met the girl he describes as his girlfriend two years ago on the internet, through instant messaging software. Although they talk on the phone, he has seen her only five or six times, by following her from a distance as she shops with her family in a mall. He says she's beautiful. But, while the couple are finding ways around their society's cultural mores, for them, as for many young people, the consequences of being caught remain all too real. "We are afraid someone from her family will see and there could be big problems which would mean we couldn't ever marry," says Saud.