OnlyFans is banning sexual content, with the company confirming that it will now ban users from posting explicit sexual photos and videos on the platform. This is a drastic change for the website and app, which has thus far been open to most NSFW sexual content, causing many who use the platform to worry that it’s shutting down.
Will the OnlyFans ban mean it’s shutting down?
OnlyFans will now ban sexual content as a result of its banking partners and payment providers applying pressure to the company, with their terms of service now changing as a result.
“In order to ensure the long-term sustainability of our platform, and the continue to host an inclusive community of creators and fans, we must evolve our content guidelines,” OnlyFans said in a statement.
So will this mean that OnlyFans will shut down? As per the time of writing, no. OnlyFans will still allow nudity in photo and video form, though explicit sexual content will now no longer be allowed, as per their terms of service. Given that many use the platform to sell sexually explicit content to their followers, this is going to mean big changes for many.
Several complaints have already begun appearing online, with commentators sharing that it is “throwing [sex workers] aside” with the new sweeping changes.
OnlyFans would be nothing without the sex workers whose labor built it up into a major platform. Now it’s tossing them aside, and removing a vital source of income from a population of workers who are disproportionately marginalized and have no protections under U.S. labor law https://t.co/j09cXwHtiE
— Kim Kelly (@GrimKim) August 19, 2021
These new terms will be effective starting October 1, 2021, with the company adding that it would look to support creators who will be impacted.
“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 statement continued. “OnlyFans remains committed to the highest levels of safety and content moderation of any social platform. 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.”
Creators would be wise to begin switching up their content immediately if it is in violation of the platform’s new rules. It’s also suggested that old content stored on the platform should be removed to be in-keeping with these new terms, with it also unclear if there will be retroactive bans or removals of sexual content still hosted on the users’ pages.
In other news, spoilers for Marvel’s The Eternals have already reportedly started appearing online. The same has also happened for the upcoming Shang-Chi.
