OnlyFans, a social media platform where users can sell subscription access to content, said on Thursday that it would ban sexually explicit imagery starting in October.
The company said in a statement that it would block users from posting explicit photos and videos at the request of its “banking partners and payout providers.” OnlyFans said it would still allow people to post imagery containing nudity that complied with its guidelines.
“In order to ensure the long-term sustainability of the platform,” the company said, “we must evolve our content guidelines.”
A spokeswoman for the company did not respond to questions about who had made the request or what had prompted the shift.
The change comes as OnlyFans has struggled to secure funding from investors who are hesitant to associate with the company’s sexually explicit material, Axios reported.
It was not clear how OnlyFans, which is based in Britain, would determine which images and videos featuring nudity were sexually explicit once the ban took effect. The company already blocks posts containing sexual assault, violence or bestiality, and it bars minors from the platform.
OnlyFans has become a source of income for two million creators, including sex workers, during the pandemic. The company said it had helped to democratize sex work, in part by letting creators effectively run their own businesses and own the content that they post on the site. Creators have collectively earned more than $4.5 billion since OnlyFans started nearly five years ago, the company said.
The platform has more than 130 million users who pay monthly fees to creators to view feeds of imagery that’s often too racy for Instagram or TikTok. With that access, subscribers can also send direct messages and “tip” creators to get pictures or videos on demand, according to their sexual tastes.
Celebrities have joined the platform in the past year, helping to usher it into the mainstream. Cardi B, Tyga, Chris Brown and Bella Thorne have all set up profiles. Social media influencers have also hopped on board, including many from TikTok and YouTube. The YouTube star Tana Mongeau joined OnlyFans last year. The Instagram influencer Caroline Calloway said she earns six figures by sharing literary-inspired pornography on her page.
Culled from The New York Times
