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Cam modelling, or camming, is the act of engaging in live video performances of erotic or sensual acts in front of an audience. A cam model typically generates revenue through donations or gifts in exchange for performing audience requests, usually in the form of sexual acts. Online camming is often referred to colloquilally as sex work, but its legal status is controversial. Webcam models may operate from home and thus have more freedom in managing their own job compared to in-person sex workers, such as prostitutes. Most lack a procurer instead being self-employed, though some camming websites take a cut of the models' profit. Camming is a relatively new phenomenon, but has rose to prominence in recent years as technology has continued to advance. The rise of the internet has made camming a popular form of pornography.

The majority of camming features some degree of nudity or sexual acts, but some models prefer to remain clothed and receive payment for various non-sexual acts. The sex industry is dominated primarily by women, but can include models of other genders and sexualities.

Background
Pornographic films have existed since the creation of film in the late 1800s, but livestreaming pornography has been a recent development. The invention of the internet has allowed for easy forms of mass communication, notable among them being livestreaming. In addition, the wide availability of webcams have made it easier for amateurs to gain access to the technology required for livestreaming. Although camming has existed long before popular livestreaming outlets such at Twitch or Youtube, the aformentioned websites have had a large impact on livestreaming due to their popularity and proves that livestreaming can achieve mainstream success.

Camming services are often attached to larger adult entertainment websites such as Pornhub and xHamster, but there are also websites specifically designed for camming such as Chaturbate. Some livestreams are private and require payment to enter and others are public and generate their revenue through donations.

Industry
With the advent of the internet and camming achieving a degree of maintstream popularity, cam models are able to generate a much higher amount revenue in modern day. However, camming websites can and will often take a cut of the profit as a fee for using their services to broadcast to a wide audience. The amount of the profit they take will depend on the website, but some cam models report up to 40%. Even though cam models are considered independent contractors and thus reserve ownership of their brand, they are also sex workers and the lack of recognition of sex work as legimitate labor prevents them from demanding better treament or deals from camming websites.

Some models will cater to extremely specific fetishes because customers with uncommon fetishes tend to pay more. This has been criticized as a "race to the bottom," where webcam models will attempt to outdo each other in perversity. In reaction, cam models on websites such as Chaturbate have developed a culture discouraging engagement in fetishes they consider demeaning.

Feminist activists are split on the idea of sex work and thus camming. Some say that cam work is inherently misogynistic because women who engage in it are objectifying themselves. Sex work is intertwined with capitalist economies and there is discrimination in the market favoring white, straight, able-bodied women which some argue disqualify camming as an empowering profession. Sex work is also criticized for stripping romance, procreation and meaning from sex. Others say that sex work is empowering since women are taking ownership of their own body by ignoring social conventions. In addition, it can be argued that sex work is not inherently exploitative, but rather can becomes exploitative due to the conditions surrounding it. There are also those who take a middle ground, arguing that sex work can be both exploitative or empowering depending on the circumstances.

Sex workers are known to receive unwanted contact and other forms of harassment. Although there are few reported cases of violent crimes committed against sex workers, non-violent crime is a common issue in the industry. A common concern of sex workers that prevent them from reporting harassment is the social ostracization of sex workers, giving rise to the belief that their concerns won't be taken seriously by authorities. Sex workers have formed support groups where sex workers may give each other advice and possibly cope with harassment and marginalization. The word "camily", a portmanteau of "cam" and "family", refers to communities formed by sex workers to help deal with such issues.

Camming is only one strand in the web of online sex work. Camming websites sometimes feature camming alonside other sexual services including escort services, dating and hook-up websites, and review sites that allow users to review their experiences with various services.

Legal Issues
Due to the controversial nature of pornography, camming, like most sex work, is not considered a legitimate form of labor in most developed countries. As a result, cam models don't receive the same benefits and rights as other employee since they are technically independent contractors. This offers cam models some freedom not offered to other laborers, but prevents them from demanding better treatment from the websites that host them. However, in-person sex work is treated worse since it is illegal in many Western countries including the United States. Camming is at least slightly different since it is considered pornography as a virtue of it being filmed.

Regulation would be beneficial to camming since it would prevent cam models from being exploited for their labor. However, regulation could also potentially take away the independence that cam models enjoy such as being able to do what they want with their own body. Although in-person sex work such a prostitution can be regulated by policing the streets, online sex work is hard to regulate due to anonymity and risk of encroaching on content that is risque but not necessarily pornographic. In a study on sex work in East Java, Indonesia where a specific district decriminalized sex work while its surround districts did not, researchers found that anti-prostitution laws decreased the use of condoms which in effect increased the transmission of sexually transmitted diseases such as HIV.

China
In accordance with the 1997 penal code, pornography is illegal in China. The law only permits educational or artistic depictions of sexual intercourse. Historically, the law is not interpreted by the government to include pornography under the umbrella of art. As such, camming faces strict regulation on the internet in contrast to Western countries where it is protected by its legal distinction from prostitution. However, camming can also be a form of solace for sex workers since it allows them to escape online where they can avoid persecution for their profession.

China has attempted to extend anti-camming laws to ASMR. The Chinese government claims that ASMR constitutes pornography, but Chinese ASMR content creators dispute this, arguing that pornographic ASMR represents a different category from non-sexual ASMR.

India
Sex work is legal in India, but many related elements such as brothels are illegal. Thus, camming is legal in India though there remains a social stigma surrounding it. There is a narrative that sex workers in India are coerced into their profession, but this is not true of all sex workers. Many sex workers attest that their profession is legitimate labor and should be recognized as such. Due to the illegality of pimping, sex workers like cammers tend to operate independently and thus control their own labor and profits.

Philippines
Sex work is illegal in the Philippines, but enforcement of the law is not strict such that it is quite commonplace. There is a perception that Filipino sex workers are victims of human trafficking, but this isn't always the case. Camming in particular is usually consensual and not always explicitly sexual, likening it more to performance than pornography.

United Kingdom
Sex work and camming in the United Kingdom is regulated heavily by the government. Sex work is not recognized as legitimate employment by the government. As a result, sex workers are often afraid to report crimes committed against them, making sex work a dangerous occupation. Sex workers, both online and offline, are often subject to stalking, unwanted messages, and other forms of harassment. It is hard to obtain concrete conclusions from studies on sex work in the UK due to its tenuous legality. Most studies are conducted through surveys which are subject to biases.