Just like any line of work that society at large doesn’t really embrace, being a cam model comes with its fair share of risks. Your fans may get the idea that they have the right to meet you in person. The stigma around sex work in general and porn in particular may affect both your personal and professional relationships. As we’re sure you realize, it’s extremely important for your safety and well-being that you separate your work from your personal life as much as you can, and that starts at staying anonymous online.
What are the risks?
For starters, being a cam model, entertainment is not the only thing you offer your viewers. More often than not, you may find yourself providing emotional support to them. When you form these connections with people, they may start asking for more than you’re willing to give. This may only be a nuisance when it happens online, but it can become scary and potentially dangerous if it bleeds into the real world. That is, if fans somehow gain access to your real name and contact information and decide to see if you’re up for a visit.
Want to hear something even scarier?
If your information leaks online, what you really need to worry about are societal attitudes toward sex work. Being a cam model may not be quite as risky in that regard as sex work that requires face-to-face interaction, but if you end up getting outed it can take a toll on your relationships with your family, friends, and community. If you’re a woman or a queer person, or you come from a culture that is less accepting of sex work, you may be risking a lot more.
What if your loved ones are actually supportive of your work?
Well, we’re glad that you are lucky enough to be surrounded by people who are open-minded enough to see sex work for what it is: work. But even then, you may face discrimination in many shapes and forms if you are not anonymous online. If you want to change careers or apply for a job on the side, your profiles may come up in background checks and limit your options. These puritanical attitudes are not only present in the private sector either. Maybe you’ve heard or experienced first-hand that sex workers are being denied financial aid during the pandemic in the US. And yes, that includes webcam performers.
What should you do to protect your anonymity online?
There is a lot you can do, and most of it is just common sense. Never share personal information with anyone online. Don’t tell anyone you know in real life what you do for a living, or at least what your username is. Use regional blockers on webcam sites to make sure people from your city or country won’t come across your profile. But even when you’re careful, it’s easy to slip. For example, did you know that when you file a DMCA takedown notice personally, your name and contact information will appear on a site called the Lumen Database for anyone to reach? When you’re trying to protect your content, you may end up risking your privacy.
How can you prevent this?
Here at Rulta, we care about your safety and privacy online and offline. When you subscribe to any of our plans, we will file DMCA takedown notices on your behalf without asking you for personal information. This way you will be able to get pirated content taken down with no risk of getting exposed. In fact, the only time we ever ask you for identification is if you specifically ask us to take down social media accounts impersonating you, which is a service we offer as part of our Premier plan. If you don’t feel comfortable sharing that information with us, we can help you take fake accounts down yourself. Through our live chat, we will guide you through the steps. And if you ever decide to erase your online presence as a webcam model, Rulta will go scorched-earth on the internet and remove all of your content for you.
A lot of work goes into keeping your online alter-ego secret. Most of that work falls on you. But where you need help, Rulta is there for you. Think of us as the Alfred to your Batman!
Photo by Denise Jans on Unsplash