Social networking sites aren’t restricted to dry topics like the stock market and consumer marketing. Porn is well into the social networking game as well. But then again, porn has always tried to stay one step ahead of the curve.

The proliferation of “Porn 2.0” sites like YouPorn and RedTube have created a national (and international) overflow of amateur adult content on the internet. Anyone over the age of 18 with a videocamera can shoot content and share it with the world, without need for high production values created by large XXX production companies.

Right?

Maybe … maybe not.

If proposed changes to 2257 Regulations go into effect, Porn 2.0 might go out of business – or at least feel a significant pinch below the belt.

The proposed changes to the 2257 would extend the requirement for porn producers to verify the age of every performer and keep those records, and start including social networking websites such as YouPorn. That would mean that every adult who wants to upload an adult-oriented video or picture would have to submit a legal photo ID and state their full name, date of birth and other personal information (such as their legal address). The social networking site that allows the content upload and subsequently shows it on their site would have to hold on to that information for as long as the picture or video is on that site – likely “in perpetuity throughout the universe” as the paperwork says – and make sure that the information is available to authorities should they decide to conduct an compliance investigation of the website.

The reason behind the 2257 Regulation is to prohibit child pornography, and no legitimate producer can argue with that. But when you start running sites that cater to the amateur pornographer, there are just so many potential problems that the proposed legislation might prove to make webmasters think that it just might be easier to shut down a site rather than try to keep up with the paperwork. What if the user submits a false document? Is the producer at fault? If the IDs are submitted electronically, how can producers reliably verify them?

Most content on a “free” porn site these days is snippets from pay-for-membership websites, which is not a problem for Porn 2.0 sites. The content has appropriate 2257 Compliance Statements that can be verified. The problem is with the content sent in on a daily basis from amateur exhibitionists and voyeurs – people who don’t understand the regulations nor the penalties associated with them.

Some sites are already taking steps to comply with the proposed changes: some require 2257 compliance forms to be mailed in, and some require you to hold a legal ID (such as a driver’s license) up next to your face while you record a verbal version of the 2257 Compliance Statement on a webcam and upload that recorded file. These sites will not allow any uploaded scenes to be shown on their site until that information is provided. For submitted scenes that have more than one adult performer, a Compliance Statement must be sent in or recorded and uploaded per performer.

Reality porn is fast becoming the preferred version of adult entertainment these days compared to slick, high-end studio productions. Although productions such as “Pirates” still wins awards at AVN, amateur and gonzo porn is still what makes a regular, steady income for more and more producers. The concept is that when the content is “real” – it’s more interesting, more risque, more taboo, and therefore has more substance.

Substance in porn? You might argue that point, but the numbers don’t lie -  viewers are demanding YouPorn so much that it ranked higher than Carmen Electra on Wordtracker – number sixty-five. Facebook came in at number seventy-two. Even Yahoo mail and Hotmail (seventy-eight and seventy-nine) were of less interest than YouPorn. Most of YouPorn’s “most viewed” clips have numbers hovering around the million viewer mark. Hopefully the new amendments and proposals won’t be a virtual cold shower for the Porn 2.0 public.

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