OnlyFans, a platform where creators can share erotic photos and videos for a fee, has on Wednesday announced that it has reversed its decision to prohibit sexually explicit content.
Recall that last week, OnlyFans revealed plans to ban explicit content was met with widespread surprise, as pornography has been the driving factor in the site’s explosion of popularity during the pandemic.
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The website which gained popularity during coronavirus pandemic lockdowns last Thursday said it would ban “sexually explicit” content in a new policy starting in October.
People will still be able to post nude content on the site, but the British-based company said it would only be within its “acceptable use policy,” which was still being defined.
OnlyFans, which has been a long-time favourite of porn stars seeking to earn money from performances, gained popularity during the pandemic, with sex workers connecting online with customers.
However, announcing the reversal of the ban via its Twitter page on Wednesday, the UK-based company said;
We have 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.
Thank you to everyone for making your voices heard.
We have 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.
— OnlyFans (@OnlyFans) August 25, 2021
Founded in 2016, OnlyFans says it has 150 million users worldwide and has been adding around half a million users a day.
It hosts content posted by about two million creators, who include celebrities like rapper Cardi B and the boxer Floyd Mayweather, as well as well-known porn stars and ordinary people looking to supplement their income.
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Scarlett Woodford, an analyst at Juniper Research who published a study this week on the future of digital adult entertainment, had described the porn ban as “a bold move from OnlyFans, considering the revenue generated by adult content performers”.
The company’s founder and CEO, Tim Stokely initially tied the decision to threats from major banks to cut ties with OnlyFans, lest they damage their reputation.
“Credit card companies and financial institutions consider adult entertainment to be a high-risk sector,” Woodford explained — not least due to the high rate of transactions that people dispute, claiming they were accidental.
Payment processing firms and investors are also increasingly worried that they could be accused of funding illegal material that makes its way onto sites that allow adult content.
The announcement of the explicit content ban had been met with widespread anger from sex workers’ groups, who said OnlyFans had built its success on the work of adult performers — taking 20 percent of the earnings through the site — only to betray them.
Critics also said the website had provided financial security and a safe working environment for tens of thousands of sex workers who would otherwise be working in more dangerous situations, including on the street.
“The pandemic has been especially hard for workers in the sex industry where there has been little state support,” UK-based group, United Sex Workers said ahead of the policy u-turn.
Via AFP.
