BY SARAH ARTURI

A week of radio silence from OnlyFans amid content ban rumours has left 130 million users and more than two million creators outraged and confused.  

OnlyFans, commonly known for its pornography and adult-only content, was set to impose stricter guidelines on the type of sexual content uploaded to the platform starting October 1. 

After the controversial announcement on August 19 sent shockwaves across the internet, it took seven days for the platform to respond to the rumours, ultimately suspending this decision. 

In a tweet posted on August 25, OnlyFans declared a halt to the planned policy change scheduled for October, claiming the business “secured assurance necessary to support [their] diverse creator community”. 

The initial crackdown from the platform was in response to growing pressure by payment processors and banking partners, such as Mastercard and VISA. 

These key stakeholders became increasingly conscious of potential legal exposure on unlawful sexual content on OnlyFans’ site, such as trafficking and abuse. 

OnlyFans explained the changes were to ensure “long-term sustainability of the platform” and specified that nudity would still be allowed providing the content complied with their updated policies. 

OnlyFans creator and Melbourne-based model Avalon Hope said the situation is a “joke”, considering millions of creators have been left to rebuild their name on the platform due to a loss in followers and income.  

“It feels like [OnlyFans] is the toxic ex-boyfriend that is trying to gaslight and manipulate us back into a relationship because they realised it benefits them at this moment,” Ms Hope said. 

Ms Hope said the ban would indirectly affect her OnlyFans presence, with its impact on sex workers globally resembling that of the FOSTA-SESTA censorship law that passed in 2018. 

“Essentially this ban is off the backbone of FOSTA-SESTA, where American-based Mastercard and VISA have teamed up, for good reasoning, to stop sex trafficking,” she said.

“I really want to sit in a boardroom and see how deep Mastercard’s claws are in OnlyFans because there is no reason I can believe that a company with a net profit of five billion [dollars] would pull a Tumblr and kill its user base."

For 20-year-old OnlyFans creator and user, who goes by the name Chéri Minou, the platform provided her with an income during the difficult days of lockdown. 

However, in light of the recent announcement, she became one of the thousands of creators to delete her account. 

“I think they have alienated all [of] their primary demographic,” she said.  

“You have to realise that while people like Anna Paul or Mikaela Testa have brand deals, for smaller creators this is their only income, so the changes will see a much bigger impact on us – and that’s worrying,” she said. 

Chéri Minou said there lies a deeper concern for sex workers’ safety and wellbeing in the future, as the suspended changes could open doors fo unsafe and illegal escorting, stripping, and prostitution. 

“You’re going to have men, and primarily women or people who are feminine-presenting, finding new ways to participate in sex work to try and earn the same amount of money,” she said. 

Whether the current suspension on OnlyFans’ planned October policy changes will become permanent is yet to be seen.