In a move that’s already drawing criticism from users, OnlyFans will do away with sexually explicit content this fall.
The video- and photo-sharing site, which is headquartered in London, announced the revisions to its terms of service Thursday and said the change was meant “to comply with the requests of our banking partners and payout providers.”
“In order to ensure the long-term sustainability of the platform, and to continue to host an inclusive community of creators and fans, we must evolve our content guidelines,” the company wrote in an email to HuffPost. “Creators will continue to be allowed to post content containing nudity as long as it is consistent with our Acceptable Use Policy.”
As to how sexually explicit content will be distinguished from photos and videos containing nudity, it noted, “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.” The updates will take effect Oct. 1.
News of the impending change drew ire online.
“OnlyFans would be nothing without the sex workers whose labor built it up into a major platform,” one person wrote. “Now it’s tossing them aside, and removing a vital source of income from a population of workers who are disproportionately marginalized and have no protections under U.S. labor law.”
Another added, “Sex work is real work, sex workers are people, and OnlyFans is out of its damn mind.”
OnlyFans, which was founded in 2016, has soared in popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic, amassing more than 130 million users. Though the subscription platform is used by independent musicians and fitness trainers, it’s best known for its adult-oriented subscription fan pages.
Earlier this week, the company unveiled OFTV, an app that’s dedicated strictly to suitable-for-work content. Many tech experts saw the move as a way for OnlyFans to shake off its NSFW reputation and establish itself as a more neutral platform like Patreon or Substack.