Protecting yourself on Webcam
​Protecting yourself while on cam is extremely important. From your real name to where you live, it’s completely up to you what information you decide to share with your fans. Definitely make sure you have a clear plan in action before getting on cam for the first time of what you’re comfortable sharing and what information you want to keep private. I’m gonna go over some different things to consider in this article, but keep in mind that this is the internet and you are being broadcast in front of hundreds or even thousands of people. Even if you do everything that you can to protect your identity, the possibility is always there for family, friends, or potential employers to find out what you do online.
There are lots of different things that you can be doing in order to protect yourself. The first is picking out your stage name. You shouldn’t use your real name on cam. Pick out a name that you like. This is your chance to be called whatever you want! If you decide to cam with a friend, make sure they know not to call you by your real name. It can be easy to slip up, so just watch out.
Some models are comfortable giving out their location, while others are not. This is completely up to you. If you decide not to share your location, there are some extra things to consider. One big give away of where you live could be sports teams that you root for. Even if you tell your fans that you used to live there and now you moved, it could still compromise things. You also have to be careful when posting on social media. Don’t mention events or places that you’re gonna be attending. That could be another sign of where you’re from. You could even end up with a stalker this way that follows you home… who knows.
Most cam and clip sites offer some form of regional blocking. Regional blocking allows you to block certain countries, states, cities, or even zip codes from viewing your cam shows. If you’re worried about friends, family, or just people in your area finding out what you do, you should probably set up regional blocking. Although this sounds like it would completely protect you, it doesn’t. There are hacks around it, such as someone using an IP address from somewhere that you don’t have blocked. Someone watching your shows could also secretly record them and post them on a tube site or somewhere else on the internet. If your content gets pirated and posted somewhere without your knowledge, you won’t be able to block regions on that site and someone you know may stumble upon it.
Keep your personal life and camming life separate. Create a new email address specifically for camming before you start. Never use your personal email or have it attached in any way. You should also make sure you protect your address on your wishlists. Either have it kept hidden from your wishlist or use a PO Box to get your fan mail. One thing that a lot of cam models don’t think about is photo cross-referencing. If you post a photo on one of your personal social media accounts, you should not post that picture on anything related to your camming. Someone could do a Google search of that photo and cross-reference it back to your personal account.
What you decide to share is up to you. Do whatever makes you feel comfortable, but be safe about it. Even if you feel fine with sharing a lot of your personal life, use common sense to know when it’s enough. I hope this article hasn’t scared anyone. It wasn’t meant to scare you, but more to make you aware of things you absolutely need to consider before deciding if this is the right career for you.
