OnlyFans will ban sexually explicit images and videos from October 1st, the online subscription service has announced.
The social media platform, which is used by sex workers but also celebrities, musicians and comedians, allows “creators” to share pictures and videos with their subscribers.
Under the new guidelines, people will still be able to post nude content on the site, but it will need to be consistent with the company’s updated policies, which the firm said are being implemented at the request of its financial partners.
The London-based company said in a statement: “In order to ensure the long-term sustainability of our platform, and continue to host an inclusive community of creators and fans, we must evolve our content guidelines.
“These changes are to comply with the requests of our banking partners and payout providers.
“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.”
According to the OnlyFans website, creators receive 80 per cent commission on their earnings, while the remaining 20 per cent covers “referral payments, payment processing, hosting, support, and all other services”.
The platform has around 130 million users, with around two million creators who post content for subscribers.
OnlyFans says these creators have earned more than €4.3 billion through the service.
The BBC reported that the change comes after the broadcaster approached the company over concerns about its handling of accounts posting illegal content.
According to a BBC investigation, content moderators for the platform are told to give multiple warnings to accounts that post illegal content before the site decides to close them, and it claims that staff are asked to be more lenient towards successful accounts on the service.
The investigation also claims to have seen a number of examples of banned content on the site and says it was told by moderators that prostitution services have been found advertising on the platform.
In response, OnlyFans said it “remains committed to the highest levels of safety and content moderation of any social platform”.
It added: “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.”
But one sex worker and former OnlyFans user warned the ban on sexually explicit content was “awful” because it would push those working in the sex trade who used the platform to other, less safe, spaces.
Tilly Lawless said many sex workers used the platform, particularly during lockdown, as a vital source of income.
She told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that OnlyFans was under pressure from its banking partners and payment providers to “clean up their act”.
She added: “I understand why they’re doing it from a financial perspective — they now have the platform they wanted, they can kick sex workers off now they’ve got influencers on it, they’ve got celebrities on it, they’ve got fitness people on it.
“They can make money that way, they don’t need sex workers like they did when they started.
“But I can’t understand it from a wiping out (sex) trafficking perspective, because getting rid of platforms like this, none of that actually stops people in dangerous scenarios, it actually just makes it harder for sex workers who are using those platforms to work safely.”
