Age Verification (AV)
A set of measures designed to prevent people under the age of 18 from accessing adult material or services. Can be implemented in a number of ways from basic “enter your birthday” type systems that offer no real protection through to credit card verification.
The UK government is proposing all adult sites accessible to British people have a mandatory age check system in place. Often complicated to implement without compromising anonymity.
Synonyms & Related Terms: UK Porn Block, UK Porn Ban, Digital Economy Act, Digital Economy Bill
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Artificial intelligence (or AI) is the term for machines programmed to ‘think’ like humans. AI simulates and mimics ‘intelligent’ human behaviour.
Sex robots are at an early stage of using this technology to help them communicate with users and to give a more realistic experience.
Synonyms & Related Terms: AI, Machine Learning, Cognitive Machines
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Augmented Reality (AR)
Adds a layer of computer generated images to a real world scene. Common on phones where the built in camera captures the real world and then adds on extra details.
Also a big part of products like Microsoft’s Hololens and Magic Leap AR glasses which add computer generated elements to your eyesight.
Synonyms & Related Terms: AR, Virtual Reality (VR), VIRP
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Biohacking
Biohacking is the process of augmenting your body in some way. It might be with an implant of some kind, or at the very risky end of the spectrum it can be modifying your own genetics with CRISPR, which can be used to modify faulty genes.
Tech like LoveTron9000 places a small vibrator under the skin of a man’s pelvis and can provide extra pleasure to both women and men during sex, although this particular device hasn’t been implanted in anyone yet because of reliability issues.
Biohacking is probably going to become significant over the coming years as new technology and techniques emerge. Synonyms:
Synonyms & Related Terms: Human Augmentation
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Bot(s)
Bot is a contraction robots, and in reference to sextech usually means artificial (non-human) users or services.
With increasing capabilities in artificial intelligence it’s quite possible to have a convincing chat with a bot and in the future it could be a way to provide pleasure without the need for a human. and .
Synonyms & Related Terms: Android, Chatbots, Gynoid, Sexbots, Sex Robot
C
Cam Performer
Cam performers interact with members of the public live with sexually themed chat and interactive sex shows. Customers pay for the amount of time they spend online with performers one to one, or users can often join group chats and add tips.
Some cam performers are also adding sex toys that use teledildonics so viewers can directly influence what happens on screen.
While often performers work on a cam site, it’s not always the case and services such as Skype are also used for privately arranged performances.
Synonyms & Related Terms: Webcam, Cam Girl, Cam Guy, Cam Site, Teledildonics, Interactive Sex Show, Interactive Devices
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Cam Site
Cam sites are where cam performers interact with members of the public in live, often sexually-themed, chat.
A cam site can allow performers to charge viewers in a variety of ways, including per-minute, fixed-fee shows, or on a tip-based system. Many don’t require membership fees.
Some cam sites support the use of teledildonics so viewers can directly influence what happens on screen.
Synonyms & Related Terms: Webcam, Cam Girl, Cam Guy, Cam Performer, Teledildonics, Interactive Sex Show, Interactive Devices
Chat bot
Computer program designed to simulate conversation with human users, especially over the internet. Sometimes using only pre-programmed responses, or with more advanced chatbots, using AI.
Synonyms & Related Terms: Bot
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D
Data Breach
Data breaches are often the result of poor security, and is when personal information finds its way into the wrong hands. Notable breaches include Ashley Madison, the site for people looking to have an affair, which lost control of its subscriber details.
Users were blackmailed, as was the company itself, resulting in significant fallout. Data breaches are common and always troubling, but when such sensitive information is involved they can be devastating.
Synonyms & Related Terms: Data Hack, Data Theft, Hacker, Data Privacy
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Data Privacy
When you hand your personal information to a company it must take reasonable steps to ensure that your data is kept safe. This usually means that they employ encryption to the stored details so they can’t be read by anyone – even if they leak online.
Users are advised to use different passwords for every site they have an account on, and to make sure those passwords aren’t easy to guess.
Synonyms & Related Terms:Data Security, Data Breach, Data Theft, Personal Data
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Deepfakes
Deepfakes use advanced artificial intelligence to create incredible fake videos. Usually an existing scene is changed to replace the actor or performer in the original video with a totally different one.
In porn this creates problems because people who have not consented to their image being used in this way can “appear” in the scenes.
Deepfakes are improving all the time and considerable effort is being made to detect them reliably to prevent the spread of fake news and propaganda.
Synonyms & Related Terms: Human Image Synthesis, Artificial Intelligence
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Digisexuality
The modern world requires that we approach dating and sexuality in slightly different ways. Perhaps liberating in some ways it also opens up new avenues of concerns, both about safety and consent.
It’s never been easier to share intimate details with people but sometimes that might be unwelcome or potentially open to abuse.
In the future we might see people form bonds with artificial intelligence, which will no doubt create entirely new issues.
Synonyms & Related Terms: Pansexual Social Networks
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Digital Economy Bill
A UK bill that enshrines into law several important changes to the online world. Most relevant are the new restrictions on porn for UK audiences.
While the government backpedalled on extreme content the porn block which will require users to verify that they are over 18 is coming in to law.
That has serious privacy implications for anyone who wants to look at adult material. VPNs offer a solution to this that’s perhaps less invasive than giving over personal details to a third-party.
Synonyms & Related Terms: Age Verification, Digital Economy Act, UK Porn Ban, UK Porn Block
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Domain Squatting
The name given to the process of a person or company claiming a name that may already belong to someone else.
That can include registering a company name for a big brand but with an extension not officially used. For example registering coca-cola.fm rather than coca-cola.com.
It can also, but these days less commonly, be used to snatch up a domain before the company which holds the trademark can do so.
Synonyms & Related Terms: Cybersquatting
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E
Exosuit
A suit worn that changes how a human can interact with the world. Could potentially be used to return movement to those who have lost it through accidents or illness.
May also change how disabled people interact with the world. Comes in many forms, from soft bodysuits through to a more rigid frame.
Synonyms & Related Terms: Powered Exoskeleton, Liberating Technologies
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F
FOSTA / SESTA
US laws that are designed to reduce sex trafficking but have implications for the internet as a whole. Sites that offered “personals” where people meet online have, in some cases, shut to reduce the risk they could fall foul of this legislation.
FOSTA means “Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act”
SESTA is “Stop Enabling Sex Traffickers Act”
The former was a congressional bill, the latter a senate bill. While the concept of the law is admirable, there’s considerable doubt if it will actually make anyone safer.
Synonyms & Related Terms: SESTA
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G
Gynoid
Robots or machines that resemble women.
Synonyms & Related Terms: AI, Sex Robot, Sexbot, Robosexual, Android
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H
Hackathon
Time-bound conferences where people in the the sextech industry meet to explore and test new business ideas and develop new technologies
Synonyms & Related Terms: Hacker, Hacklab
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Hacker
Someone who tests systems to discover weaknesses. There are white and black hat hackers.
White hats disclose what they find to allow the company to fix the issues.
Black hat hackers are looking to obtain data which they can sell on for profit, or use to extort the business involved.
Synonyms & Related Terms: Hackathon, Hacklab, Data Breach, Data Privacy
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Hack Lab
A place where white hat hackers gather to learn from each other, work together and develop tools or discover problems with existing services.
Synonyms & Related Terms: Hacker, Hackathon
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Haptic Technology
Haptics refers to the sense of touch, in the most basic way it’s used to make a screen vibrate when a button is pressed on a touch screen.
In the sex industry haptics may be used to give you the sense you’re engaged in real sex while using a toy.
Synonyms & Related Terms: Touch Feedback, Touch Sensitive, Teledildonics, Wearable Technology
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Humanoid
Robots that resemble humans.
Synonyms & Related Terms: AI, Gynoid, Sex Robot
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I
Interactive Porn
Content that syncs with interactive sex toys.
Can also refer to ‘choose your own adventure’ adult content, which isn’t necessarily ‘interactive’ in any other sense.
Synonyms & Related Terms: Teledildonics, Cyberdildonics, Interactive Sex Toys
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Interactive Sex Show
Viewers can use remote sex toys to control cam performers’ sex toys during live webcam shows.
This uses teledildonics to power the interactions and requires that the viewer has compatible equipment at home.
Synonyms & Related Terms: Teledildonics, Cyberdildonics, Interactive Sex Toys
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Internet of Things
The term given to devices which are connected to the internet but which are not traditional computers. Could be anything from a dildo through to your fridge.
New technologies like IPV6 and 5G make connecting larger numbers of devices to the internet possible so expect more IoT devices to appear over the coming years.
Synonyms & Related Terms: Sexnet of Things, Wearable Technology, Smart Sex Toys
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Interactive Devices
Term often used to describe when toys or gadgets connect or work together. Can also refer to when a gadget responds to a user’s input.
Synonyms & Related Terms: Teledildonics, Cyberdildonics, Interactive Sex Toys
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J
K
L
Liberating Technologies
A piece of technology that liberates the user, typically via prosthesis. Sexually liberating technologies would include a prosthetic sexual organ that allows that person to experience sex in a new and liberating way that that would otherwise be impossible.
Synonyms & Related Terms: Wearable Technology
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M
Malware
A contraction of malicious and software. A kind of computer virus but malware tends not to visibly damage your computer or phone. Instead it’s designed to either run code that may steal credit card details or use your computer to mine crypto-currency.
There may be no obvious signs to the user of a compromise, but they often result in computer slowdowns.
Use a virus scanner to find and remove this software and don’t install things from sites you don’t trust
Synonyms & Related Terms: Virus
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N
O
P
Pansexual Social Networks
The Future of Sex Report predicts that social networks and dating apps designed for remote sex will become popular, enabling people to go further than exchanging messages and share ‘full body telepresence’ online.
This could have big implications for people who live far from their partners and will go way beyond sex, giving people intimacy that can’t be replicated with teledildonics currently.
Synonyms & Related Terms: Digisexuality, Remote Sex, Teledildonics
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Pay Site / Paysite
A site which sits behind a paywall and requires either a subscription or one-off payment to access the services. Often a monthly fee or sometimes yearly with a discount for loyalty. Can apply to regular porn sites, VR, interactive, or any other form of content (audio, written etc.).
Some cam sites offer one-to-one sessions if you buy credits while some cam models will take requests in a group chat for a tip. Often a menu is provided with pre-defined activities that can be bought for a fixed fee. Cam sites don’t tend to charge monthly membership fees as standard.
Synonyms & Related Terms: Virtual Reality, VR Porn
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Penis Recognition Technology (PRT)
A way for men to access adult services using their penis, rather than a fingerprint or iris scan. A bit of a gimmick, rather than a useful innovation.
Synonyms & Related Terms: Biometrics, Authentication
Personal Data
Any information that might be stored online that can identify you. This might be an email address or it could be your credit card number and billing address.
Always make sure that you keep a unique password for each service you use and try and restrict the amount of information you hand over. Use fake details to hide your real identity as a precaution.
Synonyms & Related Terms: Data Breach, Data Privacy, Hacker
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Point of View / POV
A camera angle often used in VR porn to fully immerse the user who watches the action from the point of view of the camera lens.
POV is not to be confused with the ability for their to be multiple points of view, some of which may not take this ‘first-person’ angle.
Synonyms & Related Terms: Virtual Reality, VR Porn
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Powered Exoskeleton / Exosuit
A way of augmenting the human body to increase strength and enhance abilities.
Synonyms & Related Terms: Exosuit
Q
R
Remote Sex
Sex between two or more people who are not in the same place but connected by the internet.
This uses teledildonics to transmit data to sex toys via the net and could be used to interact with cam models.
Synonyms & Related Terms: Teledildonics, Interactive Sex Toys, Cam Performer
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Robosexual
Someone who is primarily attracted to robots rather than biological humans.
Synonyms & Related Terms: AI, Sexbot, Sex Robot, Bots, Android, Gynoid, Humanoid
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Rule 34
If it exists, there’s porn of it. If there isn’t yet porn of it, there soon will be.
Synonyms & Related Terms:
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S
Sex Robot
A robot designed for sexual intercourse. Can vary in complexity from a simple human form through to much more complicated AI systems with which the user can have actual conversations
Synonyms & Related Terms: AI, Robosexual, Sex Robot, Sexbot, Sexbot brothel
Sexbot Brothel
Businesses where you can pay to have intercourse with a sex robot. These are a way of making prostitution less of a moral grey area as there are fewer risks involved and the law doesn’t legislate about people having sex with machines.
Moral questions are being raised about people in relationships using these services and also about how we need to treat artificial inteligences.
Synonyms & Related Terms: AI, Robosexual, Sex Robot, Sexbot, Sexbot brothel
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Sexnet of Things
As more people use wearables to track sexual performance, the more AI will be able to give coaching to augment sexual health and fitness.
Synonyms & Related Terms: Artificial Intelligence (AI), Wearable Technology, Internet of Things
Sextech / Sex Tech
The term used for technology-driven ventures that are innovating human sexual experience and sexuality.
Synonyms & Related Terms: Sextech Accelerator
Sextech Accelerator
A way for sex-focused companies to secure funding to develop their products. In mainstream tech accelerators are common for small startups to gain funding and get promotion for their services.
Synonyms & Related Terms: Hackathon, Sextech Incubator
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Smart Sex Toys
Bluetooth-enabled sex toys that can link up to an app and be controlled from a remote source, usually over the internet.
Synonyms & Related Terms: Interactive Devices, Teledildonics, Cyberdildonics
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T
Technosexual
A human sexually attracted to machines.
Synonyms & Related Terms: Robosexual
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Teledildonics
The technology behind remote sex where you can control the intensity of sex toys via the Internet. Also known as smart sex toys. Some porn sites support these toys so you can either control what’s happening to a model over the net, or exeperience the “feel” of sex with a porn star. Some sites offer video with special options that work with these sex toys giving the feeling of being there.
Synonyms & Related Terms: Cyberdildonics, Interactive Devices
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‘Teledildonics Patent’
In 2018, a key patent expired that could prevent companies from creating new teledildonic devices. A broad patent that protected the use of the internet to send data between sex toys was used by a so-called patent troll to prevent other companies from creating their own products.
The idea wasn’t to protect a product, but to make money from other people and companies doing so.
Synonyms & Related Terms: Cyberdildonics
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U
Uncanny Valley
Refers to a point in development where robots appear very lifelike, but still do not look perfectly human. This creates a sense of uncanniness for the user. The term was coined by robot scientist Masahiro Mori in 1970.
Synonyms & Related Terms: Cyberdildonics
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V
Vaginanomics
A mash-up of vagina and economics, first used in 2018 to describe the trend for products catered towards vaginas.
Synonyms & Related Terms: Cyberdildonics
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Virtual Intercourse with Real People (VIRP)
A term coined by Camsoda that merges the use of a sex doll and virtual reality to simulate sex with one of the company’s models.
Could be used “live” with a cam model or from a pre-recorded video.
Synonyms & Related Terms: Cyberdildonics
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Virtual Sex
Where people connect and share sexual content on communication devices.
You can have virtual sex with avatars on computer games (with multiplayer functions) or indulge in fantasies you don’t want to play out in real life online.
Synonyms & Related Terms: Teledildonics, Virtual Sexology, Pansexual Social Networks, Online Sex, Sexting
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Virtual Sexology
A genre of VR porn that bridges the gap between education and entertainment. It aims to help people feel empowered and enhance their own sexual pleasure through using porn as a form of sex education.
Synonyms & Related Terms: Sex Education, VR Porn, Virtual Sex, Virtual Reality
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Virus
Computer viruses are as old as computers themselves. These days, however, they’re more likely to cause serious harm with some encrypting the data on your computer and holding you ransom until you pay a release fee (ransomware).
Porn users are often victims of this crime because they can install apps which can contain malware.
Be careful, only trust reputable sources for your downloaded programs.
Synonyms & Related Terms:Ransomware, Data Breach, Data Privacy
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Virtual Reality (VR)
Virtual reality usually involves wearing a pair of ‘goggles’ with a built-in screen – or sometimes that use your phone. Viewers are then given a 360 degree video which allows them to look around the scene.
Content using this system is often shot from the perspective of one of the performers, giving a more realistic feeling of involvement in the scene.
Synonyms & Related Terms: VR Porn, Immersive Reality, Virtual Sex, Virtual Sexology
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VPN
A VPN is a way to make yourself more annoymous online and can lead to better security. You’re no longer browsing the internet via your home connection when you’re on a VPN.
Instead you’re using a third-party and often more secure link to go about your business. It can allow you to mask your country of origin too, which is helpful to avoid UK blocks on porn without the need to register for an age verification system.
VPNs can be either paid-for or free, but paying usually gives you more security and should be considered somewhat safer.
Synonyms & Related Terms: Personal Data, Data Privacy
W
Wearable Technology
Sex toys or gadgets you can wear. Increasingly these products link up to an app for remote controllability, that might be a vibrator that uses a Bluetooth controller, or it might be one that works over the internet allowing you to connect with a partner in another country.
Available for both men and women and increasingly sophisticated. Can also often connect to porn cam sites for a more interactive experience.
It can also lead to more novel devices, like the CockCam.
Synonyms & Related Terms: Haptic Technology, Wearables, Internet of Things, Sexnet of Things