Laws for cam performers.

2257 Record-Keeping for Cam Performers

18 U.S.C. § 2257 is the federal record-keeping statute for producers of sexually explicit material. It requires producers to obtain and maintain records verifying that all performers depicted in explicit content are 18 years of age or older. Non-compliance is a federal crime with serious criminal penalties.

What § 2257 requires you to keep: a copy of a government-issued photo ID for each performer shown in your content, showing name and date of birth; any other names used by the performer; and the date of production for each visual depiction. Records must be maintained in a way that is available for inspection by the Attorney General: organized, accessible, and retained for the life of the content plus an additional period. Your content must also bear a disclosure statement directing inspectors to where records are kept.

The statute distinguishes primary producers (who create content directly) from secondary producers (who reproduce, distribute, or publish content created by others). As a cam performer broadcasting live, you are a primary producer of your own performances. Platforms like Chaturbate, Stripchat, and LiveJasmin generally assume secondary producer obligations for content hosted on their infrastructure, but you remain the primary producer for your own original broadcasts.

If you perform solo content only, compliance primarily involves keeping your own ID documentation on file and ensuring your disclosure statement is correct. If you bring other performers into your streams, whether in-person or via video, you must obtain and keep their ID documentation as well. This requirement cannot be delegated to the platform for your primary productions.