Is an online video call safe? Beliefs set against the facts

Software carries much of the watching on several services. Monkey describes AI that watches live video chat as it happens, and Hay advertises AI moderation alongside spam protection. Nightcap applies automated checks to text as well as video in real time.

No figures on how often any of this software errs appear in the record. Automated checks are a filter, not a guarantee, and software alone does not make an online video call safe.

What counts as a breach is set by each service. Chatroulette prohibits sexually suggestive content outright. OpenTalk's in-chat rules bar nudity, hate speech and harassment and expect the camera to be live, while Random VideoChat bans harassment, hate speech, nudity and any content involving minors.

The lists do not match. Behaviour tolerated on one service can therefore be a reportable breach on another. The rules page of the service actually in use is the reference that counts.

Only according to the services themselves, and only for confirmed breaches. Chatroulette says a human on its round-the-clock trust and safety team reviews each report, and confirmed violations bring an immediate ban. Random VideoChat describes warnings, suspensions and permanent bans, and OpenTalk states that breaking its rules leads to a ban.

Monkey's safety pages mention a weekly enforcement report, the only regular tally of that kind in the record. For Monkey and OpenTalk, an in-call report control is not confirmed; where the other services place theirs is covered in the main guide's round-up of report buttons.

Chamet shows a "100% Verified" badge and describes verification features, yet its page does not say what the check involves. Badges are claims too. A badge suggests that some check took place at some point. It cannot vouch for what a caller will do on camera, so reporting and leaving remain the working tools.

Badges and moderation aside, the choice between services often comes down to the device in hand, which the guide to choosing a service by device takes step by step.

Stop replying. Keep the messages and the account name, and report the account on the service where the call took place. For adults in the UK, the SWGfL helpline for intimate image abuse handles webcam blackmail and helps with reporting and removing content. It cannot help under-18s or anyone outside the UK.

The helpline answers on 0345 6000 459 from 10:00 to 16:00 on weekdays, excluding bank holidays, and currently works by email only on Fridays. Where the images show someone under 18, the routes set out in the site's 18+ statement apply instead.

Money lost to a scam on a call can be reported to Report Fraud, the police reporting service for England, Wales and Northern Ireland, on 0300 123 2040. The Cyber Helpline gives free, confidential help from cyber security volunteers to people in the UK affected by online harm, sextortion included.