OnlyFans will ban sexually explicit material from the platform from October

From October, OnlyFans users will no longer be able to post images or videos of sexually explicit acts. Nude videos and photos are still allowed, provided they ‘follow OnlyFans’ policies’. The policy change is due to pressure from banks and payment providers.

“To ensure the long-term sustainability of our platform and continue to host an inclusive community of creators and fans, we need to evolve our guidelines,” OnlyFans said, according to Bloomberg, among others. The focus is shifting towards a community for musicians, fitness trainers and chefs.

OnlyFans says it will adjust the policy because banking partners and payment providers would put more and more pressure on the platform. Last December, Visa and Mastercard stopped payments to Pornhub’s parent company, alleging a lot of illegal images on the porn site. This was based on a New York Times survey. After the credit card companies’ measure, Pornhub reduced the number of illegal images on its site.

On Thursday, BBC News reported that OnlyFans allegedly told employees to be less strict with ‘successful’ accounts. According to the internal documents, if these accounts were to post illegal content, they should first be warned before their accounts would be blocked. It’s unclear whether this impending BBC News disclosure prompted OnlyFans’ policy change.

It is unclear whether OnlyFans will also remove pornographic content that was uploaded before October, although this is obvious. The platform wants to provide more information about the new policy in the near future. Since the start of the corona pandemic, OnlyFans has grown as a platform to share sexual content with followers, whether for payment or not.