Representations of the sex industry as a nest for involuntary sex work and exploitation shape the answers governments formulate to regulate the industry. In the legalized sex industry of the Netherlands, additional regulations and measures have been implemented recently to expand control and to prevent human trafficking. Increasing criticisms however claim that stricter control of the sex industry is not always in favor of the people concerned. This article uses symbolic interactionism to explore the meanings sex workers ascribe to their situation, to their work, and to the government’s interventions. The article addresses an example of a recently introduced anti-trafficking measure: the mandatory intake of people who want to work in the sex industry, meaning a face-to-face conversation with the authorities. This intake should inform sex workers and provide the local authorities with the possibility of identifying signs of trafficking, which can lead to work restrictions. However, interviews with sex workers show that the government’s intentions to offer help and protection for sex workers can mean control, discrimination, and work restrictions. Whereas the government wants to preclude possible victims of human trafficking from working in the sex industry, sex workers perceive their situation as a possibility to improve their lives. As a consequence, they withhold information about pimps and boyfriends from the authorities, or move to work in other cities, and sparingly use the assistance offered by the authorities.