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Sex industry embraces FaceTime, world feigns surprise

by Chris White Aug 1st 2010 at 9:00PM

When I first saw the iPhone 4 FaceTime demo, I knew it wouldn't take much time before rule 34 took effect. It was inevitable that Apple's video chat tech would be used by the sex industry as a new way to deliver live adult content to customers.

Despite Steve Jobs' best efforts to keep the iOS platform porn-free, the sex industry continues to find ways to work around the edges. While the iOS platform may be carefully guarded in terms of adult-oriented applications, there's little Apple can do to make sure your phone calls, chats, videos and Safari browsing stay clean. Truthfully, for iPhone users who are consenting adults, it's not really Apple's business.

Joel Schectman of the Associated Press reports that the 3 million+ device iPhone 4 ecosystem is already an attractive target for the porn industry. Porn companies are advertising for model positions specific to FaceTime in at least five different cities on Craigslist.

Meanwhile, adult production studios like Pink Visual -- not coincidentally one of the first adult production companies to create an iPad optimized service -- says it will let customers video chat with some of the same models in their videos. Pink Visual's service will be released in the next few weeks and will probably cost around $5 to $6 a minute.
One of the new twists to a FaceTime service is that it is inherently bidirectional; this means delivering more intimate sessions with customers interested in exhibitionism. According to Dan Hogue, the owner of the adult chat service CamWorld, "We are seeing more and more that customers want to be watched as much as they want to watch."

While this type of use isn't something Apple has any control over, I can't imagine that Steve Jobs is happy to see FaceTime being used for porn. Still, like sexting and browsing adult sites in Safari, it's ultimately in the hands of the users to decide what they will do with Apple's gateways to the open world of phone services and the internet.

What Apple has done is to help prevent children from being exposed to FaceTime porn by letting parents turn off the feature completely. As suggested by anti-porn crusader Donna Rice Hughes in the AP story, I think it might make more sense to let parents white-list specific contacts the kids can call for video chats. Hopefully we'll see more granular controls being built into iOS as FaceTime matures. Either way, parents need to stay up to date with the gadgets and technology they're giving to their kids -- and they shouldn't be used in an unsupervised fashion.

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When I first saw the iPhone 4 FaceTime demo, I knew it wouldn't take much time before rule 34 took effect. It was inevitable that Apple's...
 

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Jacob Class

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August 23 2010 at 5:09 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Jacob Class

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August 23 2010 at 5:08 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Bones3D

Does anyone actually think iChat/iSight was never used for this? Even IRC / AIM and BBSes (boy, getting anchient in here...) were used for this... hell, it's been done via snail mail and probably even the telegraph.

August 02 2010 at 3:38 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Marc

Such nice looking people in the photo. Whoever would have thought they were involved in the sex industry?

August 02 2010 at 7:01 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Rudi

facialtime

August 02 2010 at 6:08 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Cy Starkman

If the porn industry adopts FaceTime then it is about to become the standard. Porn drives the market and determines the winner.

The only time it hasn't was with HDDVD vs Bluray because Porn opted for neither and went online (which tells you something about the life of Bluray).

Flash is being eroded by HTML5 video already in the porn industry.

August 02 2010 at 4:18 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
DT

"and will probably cost around $5 to $6 a minute"

Hmm, that's about 300 to 360 bucks an hour. I always thought for that kind of money it's possible to get something more real ...

August 02 2010 at 3:45 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to DT's comment
Cy Starkman

Oh yeah, you get more real stuff, like diseases, angry partners etc.

And then there is the bigger, or should I say smaller issue of that many of the clients would not last the whole hour they pay for.

This way, mr two minutes can pay $10 instead of $300 and a catch you later.

August 02 2010 at 4:13 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
R94N

If they can make money from it, they'll do it.

August 02 2010 at 3:23 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Jack

I think apple should rebrand it 'sexytime' !

August 02 2010 at 2:14 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to Jack's comment
R94N

Or 'bootytime' XD

August 02 2010 at 3:26 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
David Frantz

I dont think many of you grasp Apples and Steves position here. They do not want to be a store that sells porn. That is they run app store as a clean venue because of a very specific positioning aimed to appease one market while haveing zero impact on the rest of thecways to access porn.

It is no different than the local gas station or grocery saying it will or will not sell porn on its shelves. The local managers / owners of these establishments may or may not have anything against porn, they simply want to cultivate a specific image and create a certain amount of comfort for the majority of their customers. Same for Apple they want an image that the work to keep app store free of smut.

I doubt that anyone associated with Apple gives a flying f$&@ about what one does with their iPhone. They know perfectly well what FaceTime will be used for. I mean really guys they named the feature "FaceTime", think about it a bit. Deep down it isnt any different than the VHS and DVD industry, which know full well thart the same machine that plays Shrek hour after hour during the day is also the same machine playing The Opening of Misty Beethoven for ma and pa later that night. The associations involved though don't acknowledge or in any way support the porn industry because of its Taboo nature in the US.

In a nut shell these discussions are as wasteful as the pathetic reporting on the so called antenna issue. It is an attemp to create a mountain out of a mole hill a a gross stretch of the imagination. Apple knows full well that you can get fresh porn on the iOS devices. More so as long as they aren't sellng it they really don't care.

Honestly after the fiascos with iOS and iPhone 4 reporting and then this pathetic piece, i think it is about time TUAW extend some editorial control over the blog postings. Apple is no different here than any other business, sometimes appearances are more important than personal views of the management team.

Dave

August 02 2010 at 1:20 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
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