Insex was one of the biggest BDSM

BDSM

BDSM is an erotic preference and a form of sexual expression involving the consensual use of restraint, intense sensory stimulation, and fantasy power role-play. The compound acronym BDSM is derived from the terms bondage and discipline , dominance and submission , and sadism and masochism...

 pornographic websites

Internet pornography

Internet pornography is pornography that is distributed by means of various sectors of the Internet, primarily via websites, peer-to-peer file sharing, or Usenet newsgroups...

 on the Internet and arguably the most extreme American pornographic production featuring female submissives. It was also a leading innovator in both live video streaming

Streaming media

Streaming media is multimedia that is constantly received by and presented to an end-user while being delivered by a streaming provider.The term "presented" is used in this article in a general sense that includes audio or video playback. The name refers to the delivery method of the medium rather...

, pioneering the concept before broadband Internet access

Broadband Internet access

Broadband Internet access, often shortened to just "broadband", is a high data rate, low-latency connection to the Internet— typically contrasted with dial-up access using a 56 kbit/s modem or satellite Internet with inherently high latency....

 existed, and in the depiction of BDSM practices on the Internet. It existed from 1997 to 2005 and was run by "Intersec Interactive Inc.", a company owned by the website's creator, Brent Scott, former Carnegie Mellon professor, known as "pd". Insex developed a cult following among BDSM enthusiasts due to its uncommonly severe and realistic depiction of sadomasochistic practices. It was also known for its interactive "Live Feeds" which allowed members to make direct suggestions and requests. In late 2005, Insex ended the production of original material, citing increased pressure from conservatives within the U.S. Justice Department as the main problem.

Concept

Insex.com offered primarily two forms of content, "Live Feeds" which could be watched through a live video stream

Streaming media

Streaming media is multimedia that is constantly received by and presented to an end-user while being delivered by a streaming provider.The term "presented" is used in this article in a general sense that includes audio or video playback. The name refers to the delivery method of the medium rather...

 and actively influenced in a simultaneous chat

Chat room

The term chat room, or chatroom, is primarily used by mass media to describe any form of synchronous conferencing, occasionally even asynchronous conferencing...

 between viewers and the website operator, and conventionally shot videos that were the basis of regular updates. Most of the live feeds were later edited and presented as downloadable videos. Additionally, Insex offered so-called "Tests", compiled videos of women who had explored BDSM play at the hands of a professional producer and then decided not to return after a first test shoot. The website also provided a message board for paying members that was frequented by the staff and several of the more prominent models.

The videos were presented in RealVideo

RealVideo

RealVideo is a suite of proprietary video compression formats developed by RealNetworks – the specific format changes with the version. It was first released in 1997 and is at version 10. RealVideo is supported on many platforms, including Windows, Mac, Linux, Solaris, and several mobile...

 format, in the beginning with bitrate

Bitrate

In telecommunications and computing, bit rate is the number of bits that are conveyed or processed per unit of time....

s of 225 kbit/s, and later up to 450 kbit/s. Commonly, the updates were between 30 to 90 minutes in length, while the live feeds usually lasted several hours. On some occasions, models were online in BDSM live events for as long as 48 hours continuously. During such long sessions models had rest breaks, in which they could answer questions from viewers that were relayed from the message board or chat room. Starting in 2003, videos were occasionally shot in 16:9

16:9

16:9 is an aspect ratio with a width of 16 units and height of 9. Since 2009, it has become the most common aspect ratio for sold televisions and computer monitors and is also the international standard format of HDTV, Full HD, non-HD digital television and analog widescreen television ...

 widescreen

Widescreen

Widescreen images are a variety of aspect ratios used in film, television and computer screens. In film, a widescreen film is any film image with a width-to-height aspect ratio greater than the standard 1.37:1 Academy aspect ratio provided by 35mm film....

 aspect ratio with partly more artistic camera work.

The material included different aspects of BDSM

BDSM

BDSM is an erotic preference and a form of sexual expression involving the consensual use of restraint, intense sensory stimulation, and fantasy power role-play. The compound acronym BDSM is derived from the terms bondage and discipline , dominance and submission , and sadism and masochism...

, e.g. rope

Rope bondage

Rope bondage is bondage involving the use to rope to tie and wrap the body as part of BDSM activities.Most modern rope bondage techniques derive from the erotic Japanese bondage art form of shibari, which was in turn developed from the now-defunct Japanese military restraint technique of...

 and metal bondage

Metal bondage

Metal bondage is bondage involving the use of metal apparatuses to restrain a submissive as part of BDSM activities. In contrast to the use of rope to secure a body, metal bondage normally requires careful preparation, since more extravagant devices have either to be built or bought from a specialist...

, heavy caning

Caning

Caning is a form of corporal punishment consisting of a number of hits with a single cane usually made of rattan, generally applied to the offender's bare or clothed buttocks or hand . Application of a cane to the knuckles or the shoulders has been much less common...

, flogging and whip

Whip

A whip is a tool traditionally used by humans to exert control over animals or other people, through pain compliance or fear of pain, although in some activities whips can be used without use of pain, such as an additional pressure aid in dressage...

ping, as well as needle play, intimate examination

Intimate examination

An intimate examination is a physical examination for medical purposes that includes examination of female breasts, the genitalia, or the rectum of a patient. Such examinations can cause patients stress or embarrassment...

, erotic asphyxiation

Erotic asphyxiation

Erotic asphyxiation or breath control play is the intentional restriction of oxygen to the brain for sexual arousal. The sexual preference for that behavior is variously called asphyxiophilia, autoerotic asphyxia, hypoxyphilia. Colloquially, a person engaging in the activity is sometimes called a...

, gagging

Gag (BDSM)

A gag is sometimes worn during some bondage and BDSM roleplays. Gags are usually associated with roleplays involving bondage, but that is not necessarily the case. The person who wears the gag is regarded as the submissive partner, while the one not wearing one is regarded as the dominant...

, humiliation

Erotic humiliation

Erotic humiliation is the consensual use of psychological humiliation in a sexual context, whereby one person gains arousal or erotic excitement from the powerful emotions of being humiliated and demeaned, or of humiliating another; often in conjunction with sexual stimulation of one or both...

, electric stimulation/torture

Erotic electrostimulation

Erotic electrostimulation is a human sexual practice involving the application of electrical stimulation to the nerves of the body, with particular emphasis on the genitals, using a power source for purposes of sexual stimulation...

, interrogation

Interrogation

Interrogation is interviewing as commonly employed by officers of the police, military, and Intelligence agencies with the goal of extracting a confession or obtaining information. Subjects of interrogation are often the suspects, victims, or witnesses of a crime...

, human animal roleplay

Human animal roleplay

Animal roleplay may be either a non-sexual or an erotic sexual role-play...

, enemas, and urolagnia

Urolagnia

Urolagnia is a paraphilia in which sexual excitement is associated with the sight or thought of urine or urination. The term has origins in the Greek Language .Those who enjoy urolagnia may enjoy urinating on another person or persons, or being urinated upon...

. Crucifixion

Crucifixion

Crucifixion is an ancient method of painful execution in which the condemned person is tied or nailed to a large wooden cross and left to hang until dead...

 and water torture

Water torture

-Forced ingestion:In this form of water torture, water is forced down the throat and into the stomach. It was used as a legal torture and execution method by the courts in France in the 17th and 18th century, was employed against Americans and Chinese during World War II by the Japanese, and was...

 were also explored, and would later inspire pay sites dedicated solely to those forms of BDSM. Videos often showed penetration with dildos and the use of vibrators

Vibrator (sex toy)

Vibrators are devices for the body and skin, to stimulate the nerves for a relaxing and pleasurable feeling. Some vibrators are designed to ergonomically stimulate erogenous zones for erotic stimulation.-History:...

, while sexual intercourse and oral sex were briefly shown on a small number of occasions.

One of the recurring themes of the videos was that models had to ask for permission before they had an orgasm during a scene. Models had a safeword

Safeword

A safeword is a code word or series of code words that are sometimes used in BDSM for a submissive to unambiguously communicate their physical or emotional state to a dominant , typically when approaching, or crossing, a physical, emotional, or moral boundary...

 that they occasionally used if their pain tolerance was exceeded or if they wished to quit the scene entirely; this was generally not cut out of the video. It was not uncommon that models would be visibly bruised at the end of a shoot, for instance from cane strokes or whipping, with marks that lasted for several weeks. However, no permanent injuries would be inflicted.

Because of the severity of an Insex shoot and the likelihood of visible marks, mainstream pornographic actresses normally did not work for the website due to the recovery time each shoot would require afterward. The majority of models were local women who answered an anonymous ad in a newspaper, although a small percentage of women had previous modeling or BDSM experience. Some women stated that they were not interested in BDSM sexually, but rather saw it as a physical and mental challenge that allowed them to test their abilities.

Models normally did not use ordinary stage names, but they were given numbers ("101", "912"), although some models were referred to by unusual verbal names ("Spacegirl", "Az"). The numeric names were usually based on the date that the model made her first test video shoot, "101" being October 1, "912" referring to September 12. Among the more popular models who worked for Insex were Sarah Jane Ceylon ("625"), Lorelei Lee

Lorelei Lee (pornographic actress)

Lorelei Lee is the stage name of an American pornographic actress and writer.-Biography:Lorelei Lee debuted in sex industry at the age of 19. She derived her stage name from the Marilyn Monroe's character in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes...

 ("Lorelei"), Adrianna Nicole

Adrianna Nicole

Adrianna Nicole is a pornographic actress.She started in the adult film industry in 2000 doing bondage and BDSM work under the name of "Seven". She later changed her stage name to "Petal Benson" in 2002, when she was with noted BDSM artisan Simon Benson, as noted when she began working with...

 ("Seven"), Liz Tyler ("Cowgirl"), Gina Rae Michaels ("1020") and Wenona. Many prominent names in fetish modeling either started at Insex or passed through it at one point in their career, as did bondage rigger

Bondage rigger

A bondage rigger is a person who ties up others primarily as an art form, as opposed to people who do this to immobilize a bottom to prepare them for other forms of BDSM like flogging....

s including such figures as Claire Adams, Cyd Black, Princess Donna

Princess Donna

Princess Donna, aka Donna Dolore, is a San Francisco, California based pornographic actress, director and BDSM educator. Currently she is the director of the websites Public Disgrace, Wired Pussy, and Bound Gang Bangs, all three produced by Kink.com...

, Matt Williams

Matt Williams

Matthew Williams or Matt Williams may refer to*Matthew Williams , minor league baseball player in the Minnesota Twins organization*Matt Williams , former Major League Baseball player...

, and Damon Pierce, who all went on to work for the internet pornography company Kink.com

Kink.com

Kink.com is a San Francisco-based internet pornography company that runs a group of websites devoted to catfighting, BDSM and related fetishes.-Hogtied:...

. Because of this, Insex's artistic principles would influence the design and staging of many BDSM pay sites after its demise. Before Black's departure, Brent Scott asked him to create two new BDSM themed web sites, named Hardtied and Infernal Restraints, so Scott would have an avenue to continue to produce and sell content for the web, but fearing interference from the government or the loss of card processing, Scott has greatly subdued the nature of his BDSM play featured on the new sites, and consequently the shoots lack the raw intensity that the Insex shoots formerly had. Some mainstream pornographic models, such as Wenona, continue to perform for InfernalRestraints.com.

Shutdown

In the fall of 2005, Insex announced it was looking for a buyer, because "continuing to produce Insex.com from the U.S. would be too great a potential liability." It came as a result of attempts by the U.S. government to limit internet pornography, specifically by implementing an FBI anti-obscenity initiative in August 2005; an FBI memorandum stated that productions where the content includes "urination, defecation, as well as sadistic and masochistic behavior" would "most likely" be legally targeted. A statement on the Insex website went on explaining, "while Intersec is certain that a potential prosecution would have no chance of success... the staff is unwilling to fight a lengthy and expensive court battle only to emerge victorious but bankrupt."

The website's entire content, over 500 movies, was offered for sale for US $4 million and reportedly bought for an undisclosed amount by a Dutch

Netherlands

The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...

 company. Parts of the Insex material are now offered as Insex Archives. The Insex videos are also traded on peer-to-peer networks and are also becoming increasingly available in low quality boot-legged DVD form in sex shops scattered around Europe.