TECH NEWS – OnlyFans, known for its adult content, has announced that it will ban sexually explicit photos and videos from 1 October. However, people will still post nude content on the site, but it will have to be in line with the subscription site’s guidelines.

The announcement comes after BBC News contacted the company to respond to leaked documents about accounts posting illegal content. According to OnlyFans, the change was made under pressure from banking partners.

The site has grown enormously during the pandemic, with 130 million users by its admission. “To ensure the long-term sustainability of our platform and to continue to host an inclusive community of creators and fans, we need to develop our content guidelines further,” said a statement from OnlyFans.

The London-based social networking site allows creators to post nude videos and photos and ask for tips or a monthly fee from subscribers. Creators can assign a wide range of content, from cooking to fitness videos, but it’s best known for porn. In exchange for hosting the material, OnlyFans receives a 20% cut of all payments.

The documents – called “compliance manuals” – reveal that while illegal content is removed on its own, OnlyFans allows moderators to give creators more warning before closing accounts. Moderation experts and child protection experts say this shows that OnlyFans has some “tolerance” for accounts posting illegal content.

Responding to a query from the BBC, OnlyFans said its documents are not manuals or “official guidelines”, it does not tolerate violations of its terms of service, and its systems and age verification go far beyond “all relevant global safety standards and regulations”.

The site, founded in 2016 by Essex businessman Tim Stokely, has previously come under fire after a BBC News investigation found that under-18s used fake identities to create accounts on the site. In June, BBC News found that under-18s were selling explicit videos on the site, even though it is against the law to share indecent images of children.

Following the BBC’s investigation, the Children’s Commissioner for England said OnlyFans should stop underage users. OnlyFans said it had closed the flagged accounts and refunded all active subscriptions in response to the investigation. According to the company’s first monthly transparency report, on July, 15 OnlyFans accounts were deactivated after inappropriate images of children were found on the accounts.

Source: BBC News