Following a public outcry, OnlyFans has decided to scrap their planned policy on banning sexually explicit content on the platform.
The content subscription service said in a statement that the planned ban was “no longer required due to banking partners’ assurances that OnlyFans can support all genres of creators” and declined to answer further questions.
The sudden reversal, less than a week after the company first announced the ban, is relieving news for the community of sex workers who have turned to OnlyFans to safely earn money during these times.
Originally being marketed as a space for well-known figures to exclusively interact with their fans for a fee, OnlyFans has become more well-known as a platform for consumers to subscribe to adult content instead.
The ban was an attempt to distance the image of the company as an “adult website”.
PUBLIC REACTION
Last week’s abrupt policy change upset the site’s creators, many of whom threatened to shift to another platform.
Sex-work advocates had criticized OnlyFans’ planned ban, saying that they were concerned it would push sex workers into more dangerous street-based work.
In an interview with the Financial Times on Tuesday, OnlyFans founder Tim Stokely said the company was forced to ban pornography on the site as “unfair” treatment by banks had made it difficult for the company to pay its content creators.
Adult-content companies have to navigate higher fees and requirements from financial companies beyond what most other retailers encounter; they do not want to be associated with sex work.
Both Mastercard and Visa last year began blocking customers from using credit cards on Pornhub after accusations that the site had videos of rape and underage sex. Meanwhile, American Express cards cannot be used on online pornography.
Numerous entities have capitalised on the supposed ban and have started planning and developing their own sites to promote sex work.
ABOUT ONLYFANS
A lot of sex workers joined OnlyFans during the pandemic when social distancing was heavily implemented.
The site has been tremendously lucrative for some, allowing them to earn up to thousands monthly. OnlyFans reports that it has about 130 million users and 2 million creators; who have collectively earned upwards of about $5 billion.
