OnlyFans shares new TOS for “sexually explicit conduct”: no intercourse, masturbation, exhibition of genitals; any such content must be removed before Dec. 1

Sex and masturbation, whether simulated or real, aren't allowed — On Thursday the video and image sharing site …

The Verge 2021-08-21 Richard Lawler

Context & Ripple Effects

OnlyFans had already said it would prohibit sexually explicit conduct while continuing to allow nude photos and videos; the new terms turn that broad announcement into a defined set of prohibited material and a removal deadline. Related coverage ties the change to new Mastercard rules said to raise the cost of hosting such content, making payments policy central to the platform decision.

The immediate issue is not simply what OnlyFans permits going forward, but the conversion of an existing creator catalog before the deadline. That makes the earlier October prohibition announcement operational for creators and for OnlyFans’ moderation systems.

First-order effects

OnlyFans creators must remove material covered by the new definitions before Dec. 1, while OnlyFans must enforce a more specific content boundary across its existing catalog.
Subscribers lose access to content that creators remove, and creators must shift their offerings toward the nude photos and videos that the prior announcement said would remain permitted.

Second-order effects

The reported Mastercard-driven cost pressure shifts leverage toward payment-network rules: OnlyFans’ permissible-content policy becomes constrained by the requirements attached to processing payments.
Creators whose businesses depend on the newly prohibited formats face pressure to repackage their catalogs within OnlyFans’ remaining rules or seek platforms with different policies.

Third-order effects

If payment-network requirements continue to determine what platforms can economically host, adult-content platforms will increasingly compete on compliance capacity and payment access rather than on creator permissiveness.
The episode points to a platform-governance model in which intermediaries outside the creator platform can set practical limits on lawful but high-risk content categories.

The trend: Payment-network compliance is becoming a decisive layer of platform content governance, shaping which creator-economy formats remain commercially viable.

Discussion

@postcultrev Post-Culture on x
So why the rule changes? Because last December the New York Times published an opinion piece by Nick Kristof caller “The Children of Pornhub” that accused the site and its parent company of profiting off revenge porn, child porn and sex trafficking.
@fredbenenson @fredbenenson on x
OnlyFans deprecating adult content is handing the crypto community a product *and* a HUGE market on a silver platter. What more could they want from an opportunity to prove the potential of cryptocurrency?
@postcultrev Post-Culture on x
But here's the thing: Kristof's story might have been correct on some of PornHub's abuses but it was deeply manipulative and painfully wrongheaded about sex trafficking in porn and, like almost anything he writes about sex, a filtered version of Christian dominionist propaganda
@nmsonline Nick Stylianou on x
NEW: For the doubters that OnlyFans was abandoning its adult creators, an update to the Terms Of Service outline exactly what is now forbidden and defines “sexually explicit conduct”: https://twitter.com/...
@film_girl Christina Warren on x
Just like I predicted yesterday, the new OnlyFans TOS defines “nudes” as boobs. It's ironically even more restrictive than the Skinamax analogy I drew yesterday. Lol. Bye OF. You killed yourself. https://www.theverge.com/...
@postcultrev Post-Culture on x
Just going to make sure one point of this thread is clear: MasterCard's rule changes will do nothing to stop sex trafficking. They might have a marginal effect on non-consensual videos in general but overall these rules are about their own liability, not concern for victims.
@lucas_shaw Lucas Shaw on x
For all those people who questioned if the @OnlyFans policy change was real, here is a message they sent to creators today. https://twitter.com/...
@artyfakes Tabitha Lyons on x
I too, just received the OnlyFans email with the new terms snd conditions. Yes my content is safe, but so many others will be hugely affected by this. My heart breaks 💔 ...and who knows when the terms will change again? Maybe it's time I upgrade my website?
@postcultrev Post-Culture on x
The end result of the change is it will be harder to sell sexually explicit content online unless you are part of a major player that can afford the costs to meet the new requirements. Indie sex workers will be driven out and larger companies will be more powerful.
@ojrenick Oliver Renick on x
uh, ya, so I'm pretty sure the #OnlyFans outrage is total fake news. Doesn't look like anything is changing for probably like 99.95% of users. Here is the terms of use that can't be violated: https://onlyfans.com/...
@postcultrev Post-Culture on x
OnlyFans isn't ditching porn and sex workers because it's trying to get new investments. It's ditching them because on October 1st of 2021 MasterCard is implementing new rules governing sites with adult content that use their payment processing systems.
@postcultrev Post-Culture on x
A lot of people are getting the OnlyFans story wrong, and the reality of it is a lot more damaging and concerning to both the livelihood of sex workers and online freedom in general.
@jasminericegirl Jasmine on x
if you have the mental capacity for all of the details: https://www.bbc.com/...
@carnage4life Dare Obasanjo on x
The MasterCard rules that have caused OnlyFans to pivot include 1.) age verification of all performers 2.) content moderation & takedown policies in place 3.) A review process prior to content being published #3 is likely the killer since the other two should have been standard. …
@helenlewis Helen Lewis on x
The actual story here is that a BBC investigation uncovered illegal content on the site, including explicit videos posted by minors. https://www.bbc.co.uk/... I suspect that the cost of moderating that was too high for the business to do that and still be profitable.
@cindygallop Cindy Gallop on x
‘On Thurs evening, Only Fans said it would ban sexually explicit content from Oct. The announcement comes after @BBCNews approached the company for its response to the leaked documents, and concerns about its handling of accounts posting illegal content’ https://www.bbc.co.uk/...
@petersterne Peter Sterne🌹 on x
This BBC article strongly implies that OnlyFans suddenly announced its new anti-porn policy in order to get ahead of a damaging BBC investigation into the company's internal policies. https://www.bbc.com/... https://twitter.com/...
@bradesposito Brad Esposito on x
“The BBC has seen examples of some of this banned content. In one video, a man is seen eating faeces. In another, a man pays homeless people to have sex with him on camera.” https://www.bbc.com/...
@annolivarius Dr. Ann Olivarius on x
OnlyFans' takes 20% of a performer's earnings. The disincentive to crack down hard on popular but illegal content is clear. Excellent investigative reporting by @BBCNews shows exactly how OnlyFans fails to solve this problem. https://www.bbc.com/...
@fennecferox @fennecferox on x
the same people banning all porn when its profitable will tolerate literal child porn when its profitable im shocked https://twitter.com/...
@dearestdr Dr. Benway on x
As disgusting as coprophagia is, the only contravention of the rules would be the promotion of self-harm, as eating faeces only poses a risk to the eater. If this is the case, why doesn't OnlyFans also remove all anorexic members for promoting self-harm? https://www.bbc.com/... h…
@carnage4life Dare Obasanjo on x
The BBC was about to publish an investigation where OnlyFans moderators admitted the site is lenient towards prostitution & underage users. Seems they decided the fallout would get them banned by payment processors like happened to Pornhub so they pivoted https://www.bbc.com/...
@rmac18 Ryan Mac🙃 on x
And here we thought OnlyFans did this because of financial troubles... https://www.bbc.com/...
@robaeprice Rob Price on x
“Internal documents, leaked to BBC News, reveal that OnlyFans allows moderators to give multiple warnings to accounts that post illegal content on its online platform before deciding to close them.” https://www.bbc.com/...
@danprimack Dan Primack on x
Full statement from OnlyFans: https://twitter.com/...
@taylorlorenz Taylor Lorenz on x
“The company will prohibit users from posting any sexually explicit conduct, starting in October. Creators will still be allowed to post nude photos and videos, provided they're consistent with OnlyFans' policy.” https://www.bloomberg.com/...
@micsolana Mike Solana on x
“free speech” is effectively irrelevant when a small handful of people, all of the same class, and almost entirely of the same opinion, control banking. right wing social media platforms are next. https://twitter.com/...
@benedictevans Benedict Evans on x
In the early 2000s Skype exploited a huge arbitrage opportunity - the gap between the modern cost of international voice and what telcos charged. P2P & VOIP let it route around that. Now see Mindgeek and Onlyfans...
@benedictevans Benedict Evans on x
Which reminds me of Hyman Roth's line - “we're bigger than US steel”. Or could be. No matter what your moral or ethical view is, a gap that big between demand, supply and revenue has always been an invitation to arbitrage, by someone. https://t.co/ZmDpb50JHN
@mikestabile Mike Stabile on x
Last week, over 100 members of Congress called on the DOJ to investigate OnlyFans, based on evangelical groups complaints of trafficking. Now the time to reach out to yours and let them know what's what. @cute0caboose has some sample language. https://twitter.com/...
@issielapowsky Issie Lapowsky on x
NEW: Who gets to decide what stays and goes on the internet? In the case of OnlyFans, the answer seems to be: major credit card companies taking an increasingly hard-line stance on adult content. https://www.protocol.com/...
@benedictevans Benedict Evans on x
And people spent $6bn on Onlyfans in 2020, but were apparently on track to spend $12.5bn in 2021. That's similar to Netflix and Youtube's budgets. Nature abhors a vacuum. https://t.co/p13XtMfDER
@benedictevans Benedict Evans on x
Consumers spent $6bn on Onyfans last year. If the payment industry won't or can't support that, this is another arbitrage opportunity, like it or not. Is there a payment tech that doesn't have centralised gatekeepers, and uses a bearer model to address fraud?
@ericallenhatch Eric Allen Hatch on x
Just a few of the activities approved for content creators under the new OnlyFans guidelines https://twitter.com/...
@conorsen Conor Sen on x
Big “shot, chaser” energy here: https://twitter.com/...
@harronwawker Stasis Baby on x
not surprising but still disgusting that onlyfans is choosing banks, VC investors, big tech (apple + google dont allow adult content on their app stores, hence no app until the “sfw” one announced this week), and profits over the sex workers using its platform
@noahpinion @noahpinion on x
@micsolana Aren't you a big-time VC, man? OnlyFans has good financials. Why don't you invest in a competitor that allows sexually explicit content, and blow em out of the market?
@loudmouthjulia Julia Alexander on x
OnlyFans' executives suggesting they don't want explicit sexual content because of the banks and future outside investors would be the perfect moment to point to blockchain eliminating a lot of those concerns, but blockchain groups could have solved it before and didn't.
@michaelaokla Michaela Okland on x
Does OnlyFans genuinely think it's going to have any value without sex workers like....
@loudmouthjulia Julia Alexander on x
Beyond upsetting that OnlyFans built a billion-dollar business on the back of sex workers, turning away now that there's capital/interest. World doesn't want another Patreon. It wants OnlyFans. OnlyFans no longer wants to be OnlyFans, despite building success via those creators.
@aedison Avery Edison on x
yes, the onlyfans change is fucking terrifying, but at least the new rules are intentionally vague in a way that will leave sex workers constantly terrified that they're about to lose a huge chunk of income for doing something they didn't know wasn't allowed!!!
@kateconger O...K on x
Has OnlyFans published anything about how they define “nudity” versus “explicit content”? https://twitter.com/...
@robrousseau Rob on x
how many of these banks and credit card companies that find the content on OnlyFans too distasteful also do business with the biggest and most exploitative porn empires
@sarahmanavis Sarah Manavis on x
Imagine having six weeks notice that your main way of earning is going to just... stop existing. And sex workers on OnlyFans have been dealing with overnight changes pretty much constantly since celebrities started using it last summer
@jasebyjason Jason Okundaye on x
Anyone celebrating or banging jokes off onlyfans throwing sex workers off its platform is a weirdo. That's livelihoods and income streams put at serious risk
@jimwaterson Jim Waterson on x
OnlyFans porn ban: -site is facing pressure from US politicians over illegal material -facing the threat of of a ban from payment processors, which could kill the site -basically a few big credit card firms are the de facto regulators for pornography now https://www.theguardian.c…
@liz_franczak Liz Franczak on x
obviously onlyfans should pivot to NFTs
@charoshane Charlotte Shane on x
Every OF-using sex worker I spoke with for this piece knew their days were numbered there. @kimberlykane summed up the sentiment perfectly. https://www.nytimes.com/... https://twitter.com/...
@rottenindenmark Michael Hobbes on x
BackPage, Pornhub and now OnlyFans. We're in the middle of a straightforward 'won't someone think of the children?' moral panic. https://twitter.com/...
@hasanthehun Hasanabi on x
visa & mastercard buckling to evangelical psychos & successfully pressuring onlyfans to limit the sex work on their platforms is awful but expected. caving to that demand when sex work built your platform is a betrayal. everyone loves sex work but dehuminazes the ppl who make it
@hkesvani @hkesvani on x
And it's remarkable considering that less than a decade ago - in the context of the Snowden leaks and the death of Aaron Schwartz- that the broader fight for open access, communal internet, is basically muted in mainstream discourse, and made even harder by tech conglomerates
@hkesvani @hkesvani on x
It might be easy to see the Onlyfans situation as an outlier (and in certain ‘left’ circles, a moral triumph) but at the end of the day, beyond ruining the livelihoods of the users that built it, it's another example of further corporatization of a smaller, restricted internet
@robin__craig Robin Craig on x
onlyfans jokes are in poor taste imo when people are seeing their livelihoods cut off with little notice and will potentially be pushed into riskier forms of sex work (especially as ways to check client safety have been removed, like backpage, due to ‘anti trafficking’ laws)
@jimwaterson Jim Waterson on x
@HKesvani Feels that the credit card duopoly with different regulatory pressures to the tech companies are the new frontier here.
@hkesvani @hkesvani on x
This is something that's going to affect everything from freedom of speech and expression, to the right to privacy and protection. The Facebook ‘metaverse’ already shows us what the next stage of the game is in terms of consolidation and what the tech industry actually envisions
@melissagira Melissa Gira Grant on x
2 million creators. $5B paid out. If these numbers are anywhere near accurate, imagine how many people were just essentially fired with no notice, in a pandemic, with eviction moratoriums lifting... https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/...
@allahliker @allahliker on x
not to do serious deals-based tweets but the onlyfans thing is instructive in that no one goes into any business enterprise anymore to “fill a need” or even “make money” everyone is just secretly dreaming of their big SPAC/IPO/merger payday
@snowden Edward Snowden on x
Bitcoin fixes this. https://twitter.com/...
@asemota Osaretin Victor Asemota on x
“OnlyFans is one of the creator economy's largest and most successful platforms. And investors are content to watch its success from afar.” We should help them 😂 OnlyFans has tons of users, but can't find investors https://www.axios.com/...
@danprimack Dan Primack on x
The new OnlyFans TOS is gonna be wild.
@raewitte Rae on x
Looking forward to the explainer on which nudes qualify as sexually explicit and which dont for the future of onlyfans 😑
@tomgara Tom Gara on x
That Walter Bloomberg account is chaos, it's like 95% actual breaking headlines pulled from the Bloomberg terminal and 5% stuff he's making up, but you have to wait like five to seven minutes to find out if it's the 5% https://twitter.com/...
@shiraovide Shira Ovide on x
Rough math: a 17-20% take rate for OnlyFans? Closer to Etsy level than an app store. from @danprimack https://www.axios.com/... https://twitter.com/...
@jasminericegirl @jasminericegirl on x
onlyfans is banning all sexually explicit content from their platform. they've also made billions off of the backs of sex workers. as someone who does sex work on OF, i'm angry for every creator that has relied on OF for an income just to be thrown out. this is so fucked up.
@taylorlorenz Taylor Lorenz on x
“OnlyFans is how I pay my rent. I feed myself from this,” said Kenneth Pabon, 22, an OnlyFans creator in New York who joined the platform last year after the onset of the coronavirus pandemic https://www.nytimes.com/...
@film_girl Christina Warren on x
People keep using Tumblr as a corollary for OnlyFans. Sort of. Tumblr sold for $1b on the back of the pr0n we all knew was there but that the public didn't talk about. It wasn't until the end of 2018, 18 months after Verizon completed its purchase of Yahoo that it purged the pr0n
@ericajoy Erica Joy on x
all i'm saying is i would bet that removing sex workers is not a change onlyfans is willingly making.
@danprimack Dan Primack on x
OnlyFans makes tons of money, per leaked financials, and has millions of users. It can't find a big outside investor. Sex sells, but it also scares off VCs. https://www.axios.com/...
@nottheclick @nottheclick on x
so OnlyFans banning adult content whats next facebook banning minion memes?
@scottwbradford Scott W. Bradford on x
Wow I just cannot believe Twitter banned tweets and Facebook banned conspiracy theories! https://twitter.com/...
@danprimack Dan Primack on x
ICYMI: Leaked OnlyFans financials. And why the company can't find an outside investor, even though the financials are insane. When sex doesn't sell: https://www.axios.com/...
@stokel Chris Stokel-Walker on x
16,000 people earn more than $50,000 a year on OnlyFans, and 300 make more than a million https://www.axios.com/...
@isosteph Stephanie on x
what's the line between nudity and sexually explicit is this like a no fucking policy. where does jacking off fit in. are you allowed to get naked only if you don't look hot doing it https://twitter.com/...
@noahpinion @noahpinion on x
The unstoppable force of internet porn is meeting the immovable object of legal liability, and the immovable object is winning.
@tomwarren Tom Warren on x
OnlyFans? more like NoFans now https://twitter.com/...
@ifynwadiwe IFY on x
In other news, Twitter will prohibit tweets in October as well. https://twitter.com/...
@casparsalmon Caspar Salmon on x
Ooh nice, the business model adopted by Tumblr, the company that is now bigger than ever https://twitter.com/...
@grogsgamut Greg Jericho on x
“Our customers buy Duff for its robust taste not its alcoholic content...” https://twitter.com/...
@dannerdcubed Daniel Hardcastle on x
I'm bad at business, but I'm not “long-term sustainability via banning the only thing our company is known for” bad. https://twitter.com/...
@thedailyshow @thedailyshow on x
You misheard us. We said Big Tech should be held accountable for starting *insurrections* https://twitter.com/...
@aricohn Ari Cohn on x
There are probably easier ways to go out of business, but maybe sliding into irrelevance is their kink. https://twitter.com/...
@vahn16 Nathan Grayson on x
saw that onlyfans is banning sexually explicit content and immediately thought of something very smart (but also very grim) @acvalens told me earlier this year https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/...
@veenadubal Veena Dubal on x
The ways in which the investors who drove this decision define “vice” is perverse. Leaving sex workers whose livelihoods have come to depend on OnlyFans out to dry...no problem. Watching porn...evil. 🙄 We need to have critical conversations about what constitutes a moral economy.…
@aella_girl Aella on x
Is Onlyfans banning porn? I don't know. But this is a reminder how payment processors are a de facto legal system, policing what consenting adults are able to do. Also, I'm not too worried. There's other competitors ready to fill the gap. https://www.bloomberg.com/...
@nlrg_ Turbulent Princess on x
OnlyFans' FY 2022 free cash flow is enough to buy Tumblr in 2013, or to buy Tumblr in 2019 four hundred times https://www.axios.com/...
@morrisatlarge Chris Morris on x
Axios got ahold of the pitch deck for OnlyFans. The company had net revenue of $375 million last year and expects $1.2 billion this year. It has paid out $3.2B to its creators life to date. The company makes 20% off every financial transaction. (15/18X) https://www.axios.com/...
@naijaflyingdr Dr Ola Brown on x
Only fans net revenue: 2020: $375 million 2021: $1.2 billion 2022: $2.5 billion Sex sells, based on the company financials, but it also scares off venture capitalists. https://www.axios.com/...

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