For the uninitiated, camgirls are live-streaming pornography models who engage in fetishistic activities in real time and accept tips from the audience. The industry has exploded in the wake of the digital revolution and is now a multi-billion dollar business. Camgirls are women of varying ages, backgrounds, and sexual orientation who have found work as independent contractors working from home. Their performances can be as innocent or pornographic as the viewer desires, but there is no denying that the girls are often subjected to sexual harassment and physical violence.
The first camgirl is believed to be Jennifer Kaye Ringley, who created the website JenniCam in 1995. Ringley’s innovation was to allow the public to watch her life online, something that had never been done before, as previous webcams were static images aimed at coffee pots or windows.
In the late 2000s, camgirls were often identified by their aliases and nicknames. The most well known were JodieZone and Courtney’s Latitude 11, whose work was mostly safe-for-work, and DanniCam, who mixed the JenniCam aesthetic with something more explicitly pornographic. Other well-known camgirls included Stacy Pershall of Atomcam, and the founder of Cam Girl Factory, Ana Baekhee.
All camgirls must sign a contract with the studio in which they perform, and most are required to keep their real name confidential. Some camgirls use their full names on their profile pages and in their chat rooms, while others change their name to a more sensual one that can attract male viewers. The legal contracts also require the models to take down their private shows if they discover that they have been illegally copied and distributed. This is a major concern for many women because the internet can be a cruel place, and the models are forced to constantly monitor their work.
If a model receives copyright-protected content on their site and chooses to file a DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright Act) takedown, then all their videos are removed from the MFC platform. This means that the camgirl’s fans will not be able to see their work anymore, and that could potentially hurt their career. However, requesting a DMCA can be risky for the models, because if they use their full name and their contact information on the form, then it is very easy for anyone to find out their identity.
Rather than relying on a legal solution, most camgirls simply try to create as much of a kink-free environment as possible for their fans. Some camgirls have even developed their own kink-free brands that are specifically designed to be fetish free.