OnlyFans suspends plan to ban sexually explicit content

OnlyFans, a social media platform where users sell subscription access to content, on Wednesday announced that it is suspending a plan to ban content deemed sexually explicit.

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The policy, which the company said was prompted by pressure from banking services, sparked widespread backlash after it was announced last week. It had been set to go into effect Oct. 1.

Update 9:20 a.m. EDT Aug. 25: In a statement posted on Twitter, officials with OnlyFans said that the company has “secured assurances necessary to support our diverse creator community and have suspended the planned October 1 policy change.”

“OnlyFans stands for inclusion and we will continue to provide a home for all creators,” the company said in the statement. “An official communication to creators will be emailed shortly.”

Previously, the company said it would ban sexually explicit content “to secure banking and payment services.” It acknowledged Saturday that without sex workers on its platform, “The OnlyFans community would not be what it is today.”

Original report: In a statement, the company said it would block users from posting explicit photos and video, The New York Times reported. OnlyFans said its decision was made at the request of its “banking partners and payout providers.” OnlyFans said it will still allow people to post imagery containing nudity that complied with its guidelines.

“In order to ensure the long-term sustainability of the platform,” OnlyFans said in its statement. “We must evolve our content guidelines.”

The company did not make it clear what its new policy entails and did not respond to requests for comment by the Times and NPR.

According to a spokesperson, OnlyFans will be sharing more information in the “coming days.”

“OnlyFans remains committed to the highest levels of safety and content moderation of any social platform,” the company said Thursday. “All creators are verified prior to being able to upload any content to OnlyFans, and all uploaded content is checked by automated systems and human moderators.”

OnlyFans has been a source of income for more than 2 million creators during the pandemic, the Times reported. That number includes celebrities who interact with people on a personal level, along with people who are classified as sex workers, like webcam creators, strippers and porn stars, according to NPR.

Celebrities who have set up profiles include Cardi B, Tyga, Chris Brown and Bella Thorne, according to the Times.

The company said it has 130 million users, and its content creators have collectively earned $4.5 billion since it began operations five years ago, the Times reported.

OnlyFans is run by its founder, Tim Stokely, and owned by Leonid Radvinsky, an internet entrepreneur, according to Bloomberg.

Meredith Jacqueline, 36, who has been an OnlyFans creator for two years, told the newspaper that the ban would be devastating to her and other creators.

“People are not going to be able to make ends meet,” Jacqueline said. “People are going to lose the roofs over their heads.”

The Adult Performance Artists Guild, the labor union that represents OnlyFans, webcam creators and dancers, wrote on Twitter that “the potential income loss that many may face due to upcoming Onlyfans changes can cause duress and fear.”

“We want to express that we are working to get answers,” the guild tweeted. “As this happens, we want performers to know we are here to offer support and services.”

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