Safety Tips for Cam Performers, Content Producers

By Jesse Quinn

As cam performers and content producers, we know that our work involves more than just turning on our webcams on network cam sites. Rather, we are independent business owners who wear many hats, promoting ourselves, creating our own content and running our own websites.

This work enhances our business and is vital to long-term success, enabling us to keep in touch with our clients and fan base and providing us multiple income streams. In doing so, it’s vital that we also prioritize our own privacy and stay cognizant of potential risks.

Below I’ll cover some simple tips and strategies to minimize risks to safety and privacy on and off the cam sites. I hope you find the information useful.

Geo-tagging and photos

Geo-tagging is a standard smartphone feature that embeds geographic metadata in photos taken with the device. In layman’s terms, this means the data reveals your specific geographic location. In order to prevent the recipients of photos from viewing this data, it’s imperative to disable geo-tagging in your device.

iPhone: To disable geo-tags on iPhone devices, go to SETTINGS>GENERAL SETTINGS and then set ‘LOCATION SERVICES’ to the off position.

Android phones: Go to the MENU and click SETTINGS>LOCATION and SECURITY. Click GPS to the OFF position.

Blackberry: On Blackberry devices, go to OPTIONS>ADVANCED OPTIONS>GPS. Then press the Menu key, tick Disable GPS and choose YES to save the new setting.

Taking a few moments to disable the geo-tag feature ensures that viewers will be unable to pinpoint your exact location via the geodata that would otherwise be transmitted within your digital photos.

Accepting files

Never accept files via email, Yahoo, Skype or any other online service from unknown or un-trusted sources. Think of file transfers as you would safe sex in your offline life. You wouldn’t want some random stranger’s DNA in your body, nor should you want their files on your computer. Both can be harmful to you if the sender has malicious intent.

One of the most common breaches of security and privacy involves accepting files from individuals on Skype, email, and Yahoo messenger. While most potential client contacts have no ill intentions, it is common for those who do wish you ill to send files that contain malware or keylogging scripts that can damage your computer and compromise the security of your internet files and passwords.

Never accept files from individuals who are not known and trusted regular clients. If a potential client unknown to you wishes to send an image or video file, suggest that he upload it to a service such as Imgur or Dailymotion so you can access the file without having to download it onto your own personal computer. Also, be aware that accepting or sending files over Yahoo messenger allows the contact to access your IP address, which may be a concern for models who reside in smaller towns.

Antivirus and anti-malware Programs

If you’re going to work online, it is vital you use an effective antivirus program and run regular scans. There are many effective free programs available, such as Avast, Windows Defender and Kaspersky, that will help keep your computer and your private information secure.

Never install more than one antivirus program however, as they can interact in ways that are not fun to resolve. The one exception to this rule is Malwarebytes, which is a free anti-malware program that plays well with antivirus programs and also tends to catch some forms of malware other programs miss. Whichever antivirus program you decide to install, I recommend installing Malwarebytes, as well.

Remember to run regular scans and keep the programs updated.

WhoIs

If you own your own domain and do not wish your name and address to be publicly available on the internet, it is vital to select WhoIs protection when purchasing and renewing your domain. WhoIs protection conceals your name, address and contact email, instead directing queries to an anonymous contact address owned by your domain provider.

Don’t consider using fake name and address info as an alternative to WhoIs protection, as doing so violates ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) regulations. You risk the seizure of your domain name if you are caught using false WhoIs info.

Many domain providers offer free WhoIs protection when purchasing a domain, but at most the fee will be $10-$11 per year. This is a small price to pay to keep your private identity information off the internet.

Phone sex

If you wish to provide phone sex and don’t wish to use a burner phone, the two most popular options are to use Skype voice or pay-per-minute platforms such as LiveCamModelShows and Niteflirt. Both services protect your personal phone number, and in the case of Skype a phone isn’t required at all.

An important note for cam performers who work big box network cam sites: If your cam site offers you the option of offering phone sex to site clients, ensure your voicemail message does NOT include any personal information. On some network sites, if you do not answer the call sent by a client through their system, the client will hear your voicemail message. So, keep it simple: number only with no name or other identifying info.

Payment processing

For cam performers and talent who wish to receive payments for shows and content, please know that with services such as PayPal, GiftRocket, or Amazon neither your money nor your privacy is guaranteed.

With payment services such as PayPal and Western Union, your full name is revealed to the client. Even Amazon Wishlists are not 100-percent secure, because your full name and address is available to the sender if the gift is delivered via a third-party provider. While GiftRocket does protect your personal info, it is very easy for clients to charge back their purchases with no recourse for you. This also holds true for PayPal and Amazon gift cards.

In order to ensure your privacy and the security of your funds, use a payment processor such as CCBill or Verotel, or a site such as LiveCamModelShows, all of which protect your private information and enable you to scrub purchases for potential fraud. LCMS protects you from chargebacks altogether.

I also recommend that if you offer a wishlist, use either a post office box registered in your own name, with your cam name as an alternate recipient, or a service such as ReShip. Also, never accept wishlist items in exchange for services until after the product has reached you. Until the item arrives, you have no way to know whether the shipment has been canceled by the sender.

Facebook

If you are an adult performer who has a personal Facebook account and you are not “out” to your friends and family, please use caution in creating a performer Facebook account. Facebook’s face-recognition technology and cookies ensure that at some point your adult account will be recommended to a personal contact. This is pretty much a given. Tread carefully and seriously consider other promotional advertising methods that don’t involve this particular venue.

Use of photos

Never use the same photos in adult and non-adult contexts. In the age of TinEye and Google images, it is ridiculously easy for web surfers to find other locations where a specific photo is used. Mixing image content between your adult and non-adult internet footprints makes life easy for those who attempt to seek out your private, real-life identity. Keep your photos separate, and never mix the two in online venues.

Hints to location

In turning on our webcams and communicating with our clients, we are opening our lives to them. It’s important to stay cognizant of unintended hints we may drop that reveal location or identity.

In your cam room, don’t play a local radio station if you’re not comfortable with clients knowing your general location. Be aware of diplomas on walls, local sports team paraphernalia and anything else that could reveal aspects of your life you’d rather not share.

In sum, keep your cam room lively and decorated to match your persona, but be aware of mixing in personal items that may reveal more that you intend to convey to your viewing audience.

Google alerts

Every cam model and performer should set up Google alerts to notify her via email every time her performer name and/or real name are indexed by the search engine. To set up Google alerts, visit Google.com/alerts.

This ensures that you will be notified via email any time your designated alert names are indexed on Google, making it easier to track down breaches of your privacy or unauthorized use of your performer name or private information.

In writing the above, it’s not my intent to frighten you, but rather to provide info that can assist each of us in running our businesses successfully and securely. A few simple precautions can prevent serious stress and grief down the road and enable us to enjoy our contact with our clients and fans safely.

Stay safe out there, and happy camming!

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Jesse Quinn is an independent camgirl, hardcore academic and webmaster. She started camming on a “big box” cam site but switched over to being an independent model after just one year. After almost 10 years on cam, the Canadian beauty/Caribbean transplant loves cats, dancing, sex, politics, laughing … and her work online.

Find Jesse at LiveCamModelShows.com and on Twitter at @JesseQuinn69. Contact her directly at jesse@quinn69.com.