Only Fans, a site that grew to be a reasonable substitute for pornography, has declared a ban on “sexually explicit” imagery. The decision comes after a wave of controversy and heated debate on part of the site’s payment processors.
In a public statement, the company has announced the full implementation of this policy from October 1. This ban follows a request from Only Fan’s financial transaction services and banks to put an end to the adult content.
However, the site will continue to post a heap of nude content that lies in accordance with its policies. So far, it isn’t clear how the company will draw a line between sexually explicit content and raw nudity.
The site was pioneered in London in 2016 and has come to be known as a popular platform for users who wish to engage themselves in watching adult content. Only Fans grew massively during the lockdown period last year, reaping more than billions of pounds of revenue.
Though the site has time and time again declared it to be an all-in-one for creating intriguing material, the most popular and ever-increasing content on the site has continued to be pornography. Only Fans is immensely popular amongst stars, models, and performers who have used it as a means to increase their income.
But mostly, it is dominated by adult performers who have lost hope in the video industry, which has now given in to free video sites. Many have even gone on to consider the London-based outlet as a savior during these lockdowns as it has given them a chance to earn money in their own homes.
Given this view, several notable spokesmen, including the California state Sen. Scott Wiener have acknowledged that this step is likely to hamper the income of sex workers. Mike Stabile, the representative of the Free Speech Coalition, seemed to share a view of a similar sort.
According to Stabile, the news is not only “devastating” for adult creators, but also hypocritical on part of the site’s payment processors. He also added that these banks and credit card companies are “enablers of these anti-porn, anti-LGBTQ, misogynist groups.”
Additionally, Wiener and Stabile have also declared the futility of undertaking such a step. Since Only Fans is not the only site providing such services, banning this kind of content will only drive traffic to other sites.
