The Inquisitr » stickam

Justin.tv streams child porn: industry crackdown coming?

Duncan Riley — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 17:00:11 +0000

The mainstream live video streaming industry has always struggled with content control. Unlike pre-recorded content which can often be filtered at the point it is uploaded, or close there to it, live content can only be moderated if a complaint is received and the person in the stream is caught in the act.

We’ve learned from a reader that Justin.tv this week streamed child pornography featuring 13 year old girls. We are in receipt of pictures and a comment stream that back that observation up to a point, however I would note for the record that none of the pictures we receive show nudity…as the act of receiving and viewing the said images would be illegal in Australia, even when sent for journalistic purposes. We would note that our tipper was appalled by what he stumbled upon on Justin.tv as well and has made no effort a far as we are aware to capture the parts of the video that would constitute child pornography.

According to out tipper, at around 10pm July 14 a number of 13 year old girls streaming live on Justin.tv were being asked to take their clothes off or were hit on by around 800 viewers. Here’s one of the initial screen shot:

After some time the girls started to flirt more with the people in the chat room, and that’s when the nudity started. According to our tippers, the 13 year old girls flashed their breasts. These images do not show them doing that, but do show one girl stripping, and another posing in a suggestive fashion.

I’ve not asked Justin.tv for comment because I know this isn’t a problem restricted to them alone, and to their credit (and what I would note would have been the standard response) they suspended the account some time after the child pornography went to air based on an internal complaint system (they nearly all exclusively work this way.)

Some providers are more prone to this sort of content than others though. Stickam has long been know for its scantily clad young girls as this screen shot taken early Sunday US time shows:

Sites that attract a younger demographic tend to have the issue more: Live Universe has it, but you rarely if even see this sort of content on Ustream.tv. The problem then is knowing the age of those on screen: the porn industry has a record keeping requirement for age verification, something seemingly not required by streaming video sites.

What is clear though is that the live video streaming industry faces far greater risks from carrying child porn than it does in its constant fights against pirated content. Laws may offer some protection for these companies today, but laws can always be changed, and hosting naked 13 year old girls isn’t a good look for any company. A crackdown seems likely and it’s just a matter of when it will happen.

Man charged over streamed Stickam rape

Duncan Riley — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 06:06:29 +0000

A man who raped an unconscious woman live on Stickam has been arrested and charged by police in Arizona.

The case only came to light after the woman, who was unaware of being raped, was told by friends that a video of the rape was circulating on the internet. According to BNO News, the video recorded in her bedroom shows Johnathon Richard Hock, who the victim was dating at the time, raping her live on camera. It isn’t clear from the report whether the Hock set the live stream up, or whether the camera was already on and streaming at the location.

What is perhaps more disturbing is that the rape was witnessed live, and reported to the police either as it was happening, or some time there after (but before an official compliant was received.) According to local media, the eyewitness said in a statement that Hock was “laughing and making comments”including “how the victim would never know what was happening to her because she was passed out.”

Hock has been charged with sexual assault, kidnapping and posting the video on a website without the victim’s knowledge.

Limited Offer: Free Live Streaming Video API For Your Web Site

JR — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 18:13:20 +0000

Interactive video streaming site Stickam is now offering an API that’ll let you provide live streaming video on your Web site.

The API, available as of this week, lets you integrate any sort of video stream into your pages. It is being offered to a limited number of beta testers, after which point Stickam says it will switch to a “pay-as-you-go pricing model.”

Stickam says its API would work for either TV-style broadcasts or social chat-style functions.

You can sign up here if you’re interested. More info in the video below.

Stickam enters mobile streaming space, iPhone client coming

Duncan Riley — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 03:11:06 +0000

Live video streaming service Stickam has entered the mobile phone streaming spacing, launching a dedicated mobile client.

The initial release sees support only for the Nokia N95 and N96, but the company is working on an iPhone client for future release.

The move takes Stickam into new territory in a competitive space. On the live streaming side, Stickam competes with Justin.tv, Ustream.tv, Mogolus, Yahoo Live and others, in mobile streaming the market so far have been divided between Flixwagon and Qik. The move offers growth opportunities for Stickam by entering a space not yet targeted by its main competitors, although given the mobile streaming market is still limited by technology and regular use, the move may see an increase in content created by existing members than attract new ones.

Streams featured on Stickam’s home page generate more than 40,000 live views each hour of broadcast. Stickam.com has more than 2 million registered users, and receives more than 2.5 million unique monthly visitors and 4.8 million daily page views.

Stickam

Stickam Signs TWiT Deal

Duncan Riley — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 07:32:38 +0000

Live video startup Stickam.com has signed a deal to be the exclusive live streaming provider for Leo Laporte’s TWiT (this WEEK in TECH) Live show.

TWiT Live airs on Stickam.com five days a week and since first streaming on Stickam.com last month has attracted an amazing audience of nearly 400,000 people daily and more than 3 million total live views.

Stickam.com have also unveiled a high-definition wide-screen format for live streaming Internet video, providing a 16:9 aspect ratio. This is claimed to be the first wide-screen live streaming format publicly available on the Web.

I’ve been harsh on Stickam.com in the past, mostly because every time I have previously visited the site I keep seeing semi-naked young girls pout for a male audience and not much else. But to be fair Stickam.com is getting serious in the battle of live streaming supremacy, and the TWiT deal helps. I’ll make an effort to give it another shot in the next week and I’ll write it up.

Update: if you’re not sure by what I mean in the last paragraph, click here for a screenshot I just took from the streams page on Stickam.com. Note: marginally NSFW.