OnlyFans Bans ‘Sexually Explicit Content’, Blames Payment Giants

A British technology platform that has become successful due to the adult content it hosts, is now banning sexually explicit content.

The OnlyFans content subscription service was founded in 2016 and is headquartered near Covent Garden in London. It currently has 150 million registered users and 1.5 million content creators, many of whom work within the porn or adult entertainment industry.

But now from 1 October, the platform has said it will no longer allow “sexually explicit” content, and said the decision was taken to comply with requests from its banking and payment providers.

Home-made porn

The OnlyFans services essentially allows sex workers or other content creators to charge their fans a fee to view material.

There are other content creators on the platform including musicians, rugby players, photographers, cooks, and even Cardi B, but the majority of the content is said to be home made porn related.

“In order to ensure the long-term sustainability of the platform, and to continue to host an inclusive community of creators and fans, we must evolve our content guidelines,” OnlyFans was quoted by CNBC as saying in a statement.

It should be remembered that payment giants Mastercard and Visa in 2020 cut ties with Pornhub after allegations the porn site showed videos containing underage sex, rape and revenge porn.

Porhub subsequently tightened its rules.

OnlyFans meanwhile has reportedly said it will allow certain posts containing nudity, so long as they adhere to its “Acceptable Use Policy.”

However it is not clear at the time of writing of how that will work in practice.

“We will be sharing more details in the coming days and we will actively support and guide our creators through this change in content guidelines,” the company reportedly said.

Popular platform

The platform works by allowing adult performers to publish video clips and photographs, and sets a fee so that fans and followers can view the “not safe for work” material.

OnlyFans reportedly boomed during the coronavirus pandemic, with people stuck at home during lockdowns looking for entertainment, and others who lost their jobs turning to the platform as an alternative way to make a living.

More than 300 OnlyFans creators reportedly earn at least $1 million annually, while 16,000 creators make at least $50,000 a year, CNBC reported.