It is great to get direct questions about the ways cam sites work, after so many years I’m used to it but getting queries from readers gives me pause and lets me think about it freshly.

Recently got a great question from a reader of this blog who was worried about the security and privacy of cam2cam shows, specifically on Chaturbate.

I’ve read a bunch of your material on camsites and camgirls. You seem to know your stuff, especially when it comes to how CB’s whole site works. I’ve got a question about the pvt cam-to-cam shows. It is about when a guy goes into a private show with a cam girl, does that put create a risk for him as well? I know all the streams are recorded for the cam girls’ collections. Is the man also technically broadcasting when they’re in a private show? Is there any real privacy? I realize nothing is entirely 100% safe on the net, but are those private shows something CB records and stores too? Or is that even possible? Just curious since it’s supposed to be a private show and all. Thanks, and sorry if I’ve got more questions later! Just trying to understand how it all really works.

So it is a valid question, in the sense that any question is a valid question if you don’t know the answer, but it shows a lack of understanding about how Chaturbate and streaming in general works.

Public vs. Private Shows: What’s the Difference?

There are private shows, and there is cam2cam, and they are not necessarily the same thing. You can do one at a time, or both, or neither. While technically they both involve video it doesn’t mean they are the same.

A camgirl’s video feed is streamed to everybody from her PC or phone via the servers at the camsite, Chaturbate in this example, and who can see it depends on how she has set things up and whether this is a private or public shows.

For Chaturbate most shows are public and anybody can go into a chatroom and watch me or other camgirls while we broadcast. It could be an active sex show, or a just-chatting with the gang, or for me it would be more likely to be a voyeur show with an “office cam” that shows me nude while I’m working on something else.

The only restriction here really is that some girls will do “geo-blocking”. That is they use settings on Chaturbate that prevent people in particular states, regions or countries from seeing them.

When you as a viewer go into a private show at Chaturbate then that stops and the video stream is sent only to you, but still via the CB servers. That is one of the ways camgirls maintain their privacy; nothing is a direct connection from their PC to yours, it always goes via CB.

What Chaturbate Records and Stores: The Hard Truth

And while CB is relaying the video it also records it, for a couple of reasons. Firstly it means that they can then provide this recording to the customer if the camgirl has turned that option on.

Allow Private Show Recordings: After a private show, members may receive a non-downloadable recording in their private collection. Disabling this will cause less users to purchase your private shows.

Description on the Broadcasters Private Shows Settings page

The second reason is a legal one. Chaturbate needs to know that broadcasters have kept to the rules, which are based on the legal requirements of what’s allowed. They not only want to know that you obeyed the rules, but they have to be able to prove it as well. A video recording makes that easy.

Just as an aside, imagine the storage capacity they must be using to record all the streams!? Somewhere there are servers full of videos of camgirl shows growing fuller by the day!

Cam2Cam Security: How Much Privacy Do You Really Have?

Now the real question is what happens when the viewer turns on cam2cam or “Cam To Cam” as it is known at CB.

When you turn on your cam as a viewer at CB then the feed goes to the camgirl who is broadcasting, again via the CB servers. She can choose to open the window or not. When people turn on their cam in my room I only open the viewing window when they have tipped for me to do so, or if they take me into a private show.

Technically the video stream is going from the viewer’s computer to the camgirl’s computer, but via the CB servers again.

And no doubt they are recording it, because if they didn’t there would be no way for them to get evidence for complaints or legal requests.

What happens to those recordings is a mystery though. Certainly they don’t become available to the camgirl, she can’t see them at a later date.

I’ll say that again because it is a major point.

Nowhere in my cam-girl view of Chaturbate can I see recordings of my own sessions. Neither my video nor the video of anybody who has turned on their cam to cam.

Many people worry about blackmail if their identity is exposed as a cam site watcher. And if you live in a conservative community or if there is any reason that you think revealing your cam viewing habit will get you into trouble, then can simply avoid doing cam2cam.

The Risks and Rewards of Showing Your Face (Or Other Parts!)

Or if you must do it, then keep the camera pointed away from any part of you that can be easily recognized.

Generally, guys doing cam2cam want to show their cocks, and while that has plenty of disadvantages then one big plus about it is that not many people can be identified by their dick pics.

That isn’t because cocks are all alike, there are lots of varieties and each one is a bit different, but just that there isn’t a lot of information about there about what your cock looks like.

Play It Safe: Tips To Protect Your Privacy As A Viewer

So take it from me, as a camgirl who does watch cocks sometimes as they watch me, that showing your cock to a Chaturbate camgirl in a cam to cam session is not any more of a security or privacy risk than signing up in the first place.

Whether signing up to Chaturbate is a safe thing to do is an entirely different question, and while I can TL;DNR say it is fine, not everybody is going to agree with me. Time for another article about that soon!

There you have it. The real deal on what a cam site like Chaturbate is actually recording and keeping on file.

At least as far as we can tell.

I know it can be weird or worrying to think about, but better to know what’s possible up front.

Each person has to decide for themselves if you are comfortable with this.

If you’ve got your own stories or opinions on staying safe doing cam2cam or similar, feel free to let me know in the comments. It is always interesting to hear how others handle the world of online sex and intimacy.

And if you’ve got more questions, just let me know!