Onlyfans are getting out of the pornography business. Beginning October, the company will ban creators from posting explicit sexual conduct content on its website, which is used by many sex workers to sell pornographic material to fans. The company said on Thursday that they would still be allowed to post nude photos and videos, provided they were in line with the fans-only policy.
The popularity of the social-media service exploded global pandemic Because sex workers, musicians and online influencers used it to charge fans for exclusive access to photos, videos and other content. OnlyFans has attracted over 130 million users.
This popularity brought with it additional scrutiny, and OnlyFans is positioning itself more as a platform for musicians, fitness instructors, and cooks than sex workers. While many of its most popular creators post videos of them engaging in sexual behavior, many mainstream celebrities such as Bella Thorne, Cardi B and Tyga have also set up accounts.
According to the company, there is a need for change due to increasing pressure from banking partners and payment providers. OnlyFans is attempting to raise money from outside investors at a valuation of more than $1 billion.
“To ensure the long-term sustainability of our platform, and to continue to host an inclusive community of creators and fans, we must evolve our content guidelines,” OnlyFans said. The company is run by its founder, Tim Stokely, and owned by Leonid Radwinsky, an Internet entrepreneur.
The company has been praised for providing sex workers with safe places to do their jobs. But there is still a stigma in sex work. The company generated sales of over $2 billion last year and is on pace to more than double this year. It holds 20% of that figure.
OnlyFans said it would provide more guidance on its new policy at a later date.
The news disappointed some sex workers, who have become dependent on OnlyFan. Sylphy, a 30-year-old from Dallas who declined to give her real name, began posting to OnlyFans a few years ago and relies on the site to pay her bills.
She wrote a few blogs during the company’s early days, and even spoke to Stokely. But over the past year, she’s seen the company shift its focus away from sex work to other types of online creators, with the company Patreon making a similar move.
Earlier this year, OnlyFans introduced a new app that features many of its top creators, but doesn’t include any nudity.
“If you look at all the promos, they don’t hype us at all,” Sylfi said. “I noticed a huge drop in the promotion of people doing sex work in them.”
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