Last week, OnlyFans announced that it will bar content creators to post sexually explicit videos on its platform starting October 2021. However, the company has decided to back off from its decision to do so, as announced on Twitter.
Thank you to everyone for making your voices heard.
— OnlyFans (@OnlyFans) August 25, 2021
We have secured assurances necessary to support our diverse creator community and have suspended the planned October 1 policy change.
OnlyFans stands for inclusion and we will continue to provide a home for all creators.
The popularity of OnlyFans exploded during the pandemic as a lot of influencers, including sex workers, musicians, and celebrities used the platform to distribute exclusive photos, videos, and other materials. This boom has resulted in a user base of over 130 million users.
The reason for the ban, however, was due to mounting pressure from banking partners and payment providers. “In order to ensure the long-term sustainability of our platform, and continue to host an inclusive community of creators and fans, we must evolve our content guidelines,” said OnlyFans to Bloomberg last week after announcing its decision to ban sexually explicit content.
In another interview that happened yesterday (via The Verge), OnlyFans founder and CEO Tim Stokely confirmed that the banks were behind the ban. “The change in policy, we had no choice — the short answer is banks,” Stokely told the Financial Times.