sexual preferences. Users uploading content select from a series of set categories. The most popular category, "amateur", tags 30% of all videos posted. In the US, popular gay uploads include "big cocks" and "bare back" with Oregon having the lowest gay porn view time at 1.5 hours a week while West Virginia has the highest view rate at 3.3 hours a week. In 2017, xHamster found that 20 per cent of its viewers were watching porn with a partner. The proportion of female users amounts to 26% with increasing tendency. In 2017, the website stated a 2.4% increase in women visitors with the most popular search term in the U.S. being "Daddy" and "Mom" worldwide. On the occasion of Valentine's Day, xHamster collected data of female search preferences sorted by US states. In 17 out of 50 states, female-only porn was found to be the most sought after category. In addition to prerecorded videos, users can view live streams of paid models; the model can interact with several users by means of an online chat service. Models can also activate a "Tip" button, which allows users to provide the models additional money. In 2017, xHamster along with other leading adult sites, began accepting Bitcoin as payment. The platform added a "Night Mode" which switches the site to a low-light background when activated. Since 2017, xHamster uses an artificial intelligence model that scans material on its website to target individual user preferences. In reaction to growing demand for tech related content, xHamster created a virtual reality platform to explore opportunities for VR techniques in the porn industry. In August 2018, the website was listed as number seven on the Daily Dot's list of top ten free porn sites on the internet. xHamster also contains several social networking features. Users have detailed profiles incorporating their profile picture and gender, as well as works added to the site. Content possesses a commenting and rating system, and users can interact by adding others as a "friend" or subscribing to another's content. Privacy settings allow users to make various parts of the account visible only to select individuals, filter private messages, and block certain requests. Users can also verify their identity by submitting a photo of themselves with their username, which confers a stamp upon their profile. Unlike mainstream social media such as Facebook and YouTube, pornographic sites face a host of additional legal regulations