The site OnlyFans, which announced the ban on sexually explicit content, will finally reverse its decision, the company said on Wednesday (August 25th). The platform, which allows creators of erotic and pornographic content to sell photos and videos to Internet users, finally announced that the ban on pornography, which was to come into force on 1er October, was canceled.
“We have obtained the necessary assurances to support our community of creators”, OnlyFans explained in a tweet, a reference to the company’s banking partners, accused of pushing the platform to make this drastic change. In its previous announcement, on August 19, the site had specified that only content presenting nudity would be authorized, therefore banning videos and photos containing sexual acts.
The turnaround, however, leaves the company in a difficult position, with many sex workers harshly criticizing OnlyFans over the week.
Complex relations with the banking sector
In a recent interview with Financial Times, the founder of the company, Tim Stokely, directly accused the banking sector to be responsible for this policy change, citing in particular establishments that have closed accounts belonging to OnlyFans due to the nature of the site. “JPMorgan Chase, in particular, is brutally shutting down the accounts of sex workers, or any company that supports them.”, said Stokely.
The banking sector has notoriously difficult relations with the pornographic industry, relations which have become even more strained in recent years, due to a toughening of legislation in the United States, but also to the lobbying of conservative political groups. . A situation coupled with a notorious mistrust explained by economic factors, the banking industry considering that transactions related to pornography present a higher risk of fraud.
At the end of 2020, Visa and Mastercard cut their ties with the giant Pornhub, owner of the Mindgeek group, accused of having left online numerous child pornography or rape videos.
OnlyFans claims 130 million users and over 2 million creators. Its popularity has exploded thanks to health restrictions in 2020, like other services that connect creators and influencers with an audience.