Telecommuting is shaking up the porn industry. Camgirls—models who earn their living by stripping (and more) in front of a computer webcam for hundreds of people watching live online—are taking advantage of the Internet's freedoms to work anywhere. The adult webcam industry currently tops $1 billion in revenue a year and is growing fast. Collectively, the sites are estimated to be visited daily by some 5 percent of the Web's global users. And the number of models is increasing.



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But while many of those models may claim to be from the U.S., the large majority operate overseas. The percentage of cam girls who are based in the U.S. ranges from 15 to 35 percent, says Theo Sapoutzis, chairman and CEO of AVN Media Network.

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That number varies from site to site, but some sites have higher concentration of non-U.S. models, adds Ophelia Marcus, a camgirl better known to her throngs of fans as LittleRedBunny. "On the performer side there are more Americans on MyFreeCams," she said, adding that on her site, Jasmin, the geographic mix has changed of late. Before the recession, the number of U.S. models was actually a lot lower, said Ross Love, owner of the Best Kept Secret Talent Agency, which focuses exclusively on the webcam market. At that time, Eastern Europe made up the majority of the market, and still has a sizable stake. As webcams became a bigger part of the adult entertainment landscape, though, U.S. models began to focus more of their attention there, in part because of the significant earning potential. Read MoreThe Dirty Dozen: Porn's top stars