Cam Girls: Will You Hate Yourself Later?

in What You Need to Know Monday, April 11, 2011 at 12:57PM By: Pepper Law Group

"Some of the most common issues I come across involve talent or producers getting into the adult industry without understanding all of the legal and practical implications, and later learning the hard way.  Nothing is black and white in this business, so jumping right in without doing your homework can create huge problems." Dan Pepper, Esq., Pepper Law Group

At Geisha Affair International, we see many ladies in the industry who are cam girls as well as escorts or porn stars. For them, talk about staying within the law is commonplace. But what about cam girls? We decided to get a little feedback from an expert. Geisha Diaries, Voice of Geisha Affair, International, sat down with Dan Pepper, attorney-at-law and founder of Pepper Law Group, specializing in the adult industry. Here is what we learned:

Geisha Diaries: What are the most common dangers you have identified with regard to Cam Girls and their privacy safety?   

DAN:  There are a couple of dangers.  First, I always ask Cam Girls if they take the time to read all of those online terms they sign up to when they register to become a Cam Girl.  If they either haven’t read them, or don’t understand them, how can they know where their image, voice, or other personal information about themselves might end up?  There are legitimate Cam Sites out there, but far more illegitimate ones, so it’s easy to get burned either financially, or worse, see their names and phone numbers published online somewhere.

Geisha Diaries: How is information collected from a Cam Girl’s website by an outsider or hacker ultimately used?

DAN:  We have seen many cases of video from a cam session pirated and appearing on pirate and tube sites.  We have also seen the personal information submitted by Cam Girls to cam sites copied and pasted on public websites, including their names, pictures, and other personal information.

Geisha Diaries: What can a Cam Girl do to protect her privacy?

DAN:  If there is only one rule all Cam Girls should remember, it is this:  If you think you can be a Cam Girl for a short time, quit, and assume all traces of your life as a Cam Girl will disappear – THINK AGAIN.  You should assume that your cam sessions and videos can and will be available on the internet FOREVER.  If you are uncomfortable with that, you should NOT get into this business.  A Cam Girl should also do an enormous amount of research about any cam site before she joins.  As I mentioned before, there are far more shady cam sites out there than legitimate ones.

Geisha Diaries: How can a Cam Girl avoid getting caught in a sting operation?

DAN:  Fortunately, it is very unusual and unlikely for a Cam Girl to get caught in a sting operation.  If the Cam Girl is only doing solo shows, there is far less risk of a prostitution charge since she is not performing sexual acts with a partner.  However, every Cam Girl should have a working knowledge of the obscenity laws and AVOID performing any acts that might be considered obscene.  Most cam site owners prohibit obscene acts, but won’t be able to tell you what that means.  And although it should go without saying, NEVER agree to meet with any cam site users.

Geisha Diaries: Over the years, the internet has known many Web Cams, Life Casters or Cam Girls, including iconic figures such as Jennifer Kay Ringley, founder of JenniCam, who even recorded herself having sex. Ringley was even featured on The Today Show and World News Tonight with Peter Jennings. In terms of legalities, what separates a Cam Girl from a LifeCaster?

DAN:  Essentially there is no difference. It all depends on what the talent performs on camera.  Remember, it all comes down to the specific acts that are being done which give rise to the legal issues.  There is nothing in itself illegal about broadcasting yourself on a cam 24/7.

Geisha Diaries: When a Cam Girl retains your services, what can he/she expect to receive?

DAN:  We’ll first discuss what her plans are for the industry.  Does she want to be a Cam Girl on established cam sites or launch her own cam site?  What are her reasons for getting into the industry, and how long does she plan on staying in?  Does she want to launch a career into other aspects of the adult industry as well?  We’ll also carefully advise her on what agreements to sign, not sign, and what should be changed.  We’ll go through the state of obscenity laws and the specific things you should NEVER do on cam sites or provide to the cam site owners.  Our Cam Girl clients leave us with a thorough understanding of the business so they won’t get screwed (in the bad way!).

Interview between Dan, Pepper, Esq., Pepper Law Group and Meeshee, Publisher, Geisha Diaries