OnlyFans reverses decision on pornography ban, says it can continue supporting ‘all genres of creators’

In a surprising turn of events, multimedia subscription service OnlyFans has reversed its decision to ban sexually explicit content from the platform, in a tweet announcing that it won’t ban porn on its site from 1 October, as was previously announced.

A spokesperson from the London-based multimedia subscription service, in a statement, told The Verge that, “The proposed 1 October, 2021, changes are no longer required due to banking partners’ assurances that OnlyFans can support all genres of creators”. The shocker comes a day after its founder and CEO, Tom Stokley, in an interview with the Financial Times , stated that the reason behind the ban was the company’s differences with its banking partners. “The policy change, we had no choice — the short answer is banks,” Stokely said. Post the ban announcement, OnlyFans creators, who might have begun deleting policy-violating content or started creating content on new platforms, now have a choice to either stick with the platform or go ahead with their new platforms, because OnlyFans seems to have sold them out at a time of adversity. [caption id=“attachment_9914161” align=“alignnone” width=“1952”] OnlyFans had 130 million users in 2020. Image: OnlyFans[/caption] For the uninitiated, OnlyFans had announced plans last week to ban ‘sexually explicit content’ starting 1 October. The audio and image sharing platform had sent out an updated Terms of Service policy to its creators. While other sections of the platform, dealing with a ban on deepfakes, drugs, or violence, remain unchanged. Founded in 2016, OnlyFans has established its billion-dollar business with the help of sex workers. Adult performers can offer ‘not safe for work’ (NSFW) videos by charging followers a subscription fee on the app. OnlyFans had over 130 million users, two million content creators, and around $150 million in free cash flow in 2020. The service has endeavoured to rebrand itself recently, as a platform for all types of creators, from chefs to musicians. Various celebrities including Bella Thorne and Cardi B have joined the service as content creators. However, porn, by far, remains the most popular category on the site.