Onlyfans New Acceptable Use Policy: What Are The Changes And What To Do Next?

The Official Onlyfans Email Notification To Inform Us We Will No Longer Be Allowed To Post Explicit Sexual Content

I was just finishing off a article I had intended to post on here regarding the news reports that we had all heard about, before the official notice came in, when I received the email from Onlyfans to give me notice of the changes to their 'Acceptable Use Policy'.

There is little point in me posting it here now as we have had the official Onlyfans notice now, but it has confirmed exactly what I thought which was that the news reports were genuine and we were all going to be banned from posting sexually explicit content.

When I first read the email I knew, before even reading the new changes in Onlyfans 'acceptable use policy' that it would just confirm what was reported in the press earlier that day. My heart sank as I, like most others, have invested a lot of time and money into building our Onlyfans accounts and now they want to rip it all away.

My initial reaction was one of defeat and loss. I felt like everything I had worked so hard for was for nothing and I had lost everything. I have since given it a lot of thought and realised it isn't the end, there are options and we have time to implement them.

Here is an image of the email I, and all other creators would have received.

There is a lot of information in the email where they explain what the changes are, where to find the new 'Acceptable Use Policy' and make their excuses for why they are doing what they are doing.

Personally I don't believe it is down to the banking institutions and it is more down to pleasing the investors they are trying to secure who can help it become more of a mainstream media platform and lessen its reputation for porn after being valued at $1 billion!

There are lots of other platforms just like Onlyfans and Onlyfans themselves have been using payment processors for years without issue.

It has only became a issue since they announced they are seeking investors. You can read about it here if it interests you at all -
Onlyfans Seeks Funding

It is also worth noting that there has been no official evidence to show this is the case, yet, when Porn Hub was banned from using these services there was plenty of evidence to support their claims.

Personally I think it is a cop out to hide the fact that they are basically more interested in raising the investment for their company over the creators that built Onlyfans to where it is now.

What is does tell us though is:

       "This email is to notify you of changes to our Acceptable Use Policy that will go live effective October 1, 2021.

The new policy will prohibit the posting of any new content containing sexually-explicit conduct. Content containing nudity will continue to be allowed as long as it is consistent with the policy."

What does this mean? Well, it means that from the 1st October 2021 we will not be allowed to post any content containing 'sexually explicit conduct'.
It also makes it clear that 'nudity' will be allowed to be posted.

Unfortunately this is a little vague. Where is the line between 'explicit sexual conduct' and 'nudity'?
For the answer to that we need to read the details within the new acceptable use policy, which we will go through in detail further down.

So, we can continue to do as we have been doing up until the 1st October. We can continue to post sexually explicit and nude content as before.

On and after the 1st October we will no longer be able to post any NEW content containing sexually explicit conduct. But we can still post, and sell, any existing sexually explicit content that has already been uploaded prior to October 1st! - Good news!

The email then goes on to read:

     "Existing content that does not meet the standards of the new policy will need to be removed before December 1, 2021."

This tells us that up until the 1st of December we can continue to post any sexually explicit content that we have previously uploaded. So, if you have PPV's that you want to send out to new and existing fans you can do so.

I have a great idea that will help us continue as we are for the next 3 months or so without breaching Onlyfans new acceptable use policy but will allow us to sell NEW content until December. More on this below where I will offer lots of advice on how to move forward.

By the 1st December ALL sexually explicit content must be removed from Onlyfans. It is going to be interesting to see how they police this as I know that you are only able to delete 5 posts from your page every 24 hours. Now, I have hundreds of images and videos on my wall and in my vault that will have to be removed so how am I going to do that?

I can either delete a few a day between now and December but then my existing fans and any new fans will be getting less for their subscription so that isn't fair on them.
Or, I can wait until just before the 1st December and start deleting them then but as I can only delete 5 a day that won't work either.

I would imagine Onlyfans will allow some leniency here or make it so we can delete as many posts as we have to immediately. Onlyfans do say towards the end of the email that they will:

     ".......continue to support and guide all creators through these necessary changes, making sure that all creators have a home on our platform."

So, hopefully this will be made clear well in advance.
I am unsure what 'support' they will be offering at this point, we will have to wait for developments on that front as up u ntil now support has been lacking to say the least.

How they can make the "making sure all creators have a home on our platform" statement is beyond me when they have literally just made it so the majority of their creators do not have a home on Onlyfans!

Moving on...

There is a key sentence they have added that needs to be noted. We cannot take it for granted that the dates they have given for us to stop uploading new sexually explicit content and when it all has to be deleted from our accounts is set in stone.

Here's why:

     "Our intention is for the policy to be implemented in accordance with the above dates, but we may need to change one or more of the dates as circumstances may require."

Now, I don't know about you but I am having a hard time believing their 'intentions' are with us creators in mind!
When you consider they sent many replies to concerned creators (myself included) telling us not to listen to RUMOURS, when the news reports broke, only to confirm those reports just a few hours later, it is hard to believe they won't change these dates if a new investor wants those dates brought forward.

With that in mind I will be planning my future on the platform and off with those dates in mind but also plan for the possibility they may change and I have to act faster! I would recommend you do the same.

For creators that is about all the relevant information you can glean from the email. Everything else is just Onlyfans trying to appease us into believing they value us, what we do and that it isn't their fault they are pulling the rug from beneath us.

Quite frankly, it isn't worth reading or writing about as I don't believe a word of it!

Onlyfans New Acceptable Use Policy

Once we have read the email notice from Onlyfans we are directed to the 'New Acceptible Use Policy' which gives us more detail to distinguish the difference between 'sexually explicit content' and 'nudity'

If you haven't seen it yet it can be found HERE

Most of the policies within this document are the same as they were before the changes with the obvious exception to the content types we can and cannot post.

They cover things like minimum age, the use of illegal items such as drugs, guns etc and general conduct on Onlyfans.

In this post I will only discuss the relevant areas that have changed and will have an effect on content creators and the content we post.

Below I have added some images taken from the new acceptable use policy and highlighted the areas we need to take note of and will have to conform with.

In this first image above we can see the main details on what will no longer be allowed on Onlyfans after the 1st December.

There has already been a lot of confusion as to what separates sexually explicit content from nudity.
I think the points made in section 5 and 5b make it pretty clear.

I will break down each point as simply as I can to try and clear up some of this confusion.

The main topic covered in policy number 5 tells us the different ways that we must STOP adding content to Onlyfans.

So, we must not 'POST', 'DISPLAY' or 'PUBLISH' any content listed in the sub sections below the main topic heading. (5a, 5B, 5c etc). This also tells us that it we cannot do so ANYWHERE on Onlyfans.

We cannot post it to our walls, in a live stream, in messages, our stories, our profile images or anywhere else.
It is a blanket ban on Onlyfans.

I have had a few creators tell me that they think we will be able to send our sexually explicit content in messages. This simply isn't the case.
It clearly tells us in this policy that we cannot do so.

To send it in a message is still publishing it on Onlyfans. The content is still hosted on their servers and that would be a breach of this policy.

To confirm this I have submitted a support request but I am still waiting for a reply. I do, however, feel my interpretation is correct and we just won't be able to have it anywhere on Onlyfans.

Remember in the email they sent they make it crystal clear that ALL sexually explicit content must be removed from our accounts by the 1st December. If we have to delete it all then we will not be able to send it in messages.

Now we know that they have closed every door to posting or sharing our content, from the 1st December, we will look at the different sections that cover the types of content that will be banned.

Remember we can still upload until the 1st October and can still share it and send it out as PPV's until the 1st December. These rules are coming into effect, they are not in effect right now.

The first policy to note is policy #5 section b.

Here it reads:

     "shows, promotes, advertises or refers to “sexually explicit conduct”, which means:"

Which, when added to the policy header mentioned above it tells us that we cannot 'post', 'display' or 'publish' anything that shows, promotes, advertises or refers to "sexually explicit conduct".

It has now gone into more detail in that we cannot post anything that SHOWS, PROMOTES, ADVERTISES or REFERS to anything listed in the sub sections further down the policy.
This reinforces their stand on nothing sexually explicit in nature will be allowed to be shown or referred to in any way.

This also answers another question I have asked support to confirm but I believe the answer is in this section.
The question being:
"can we post links or send messages to our fans with links to another platform that we will use instead of Onlyfans to sell my sexually explicit content?".

In a nutshell. NO.

In section '5', sub section 'b' they tell us that we cannot post anything that PROMOTES or ADVERTISES sexually explicit content.

That is above their other policies that also tell us we cannot promote services on Onlyfans that occur somewhere other than Onlyfans.

Basically, we can't post a link to admireme.vip advertising our services/sexually explicit content on Onlyfans. If you don't know AdmireMe is a similar website to Onlyfans. I will discuss other platforms in detail later.

It is pretty standard for any website that gets payments from users for services to ban the advertising of another service provider for obvious reasons. They don't want you spending your money somewhere else for services that are offered on their own site.

It is also for this reason they ban words like PayPal and CashApp. You are not allowed to offer to take payment for services anywhere else other than Onlyfans. Simply, this is because they would lose their 20% commission on those payments if you were getting paid elsewhere.

Many creators have lost their accounts on Onlyfans for this reason and this policy section just highlights that point to be more specific about advertising other platforms for your explicit sexual content.

As I mentioned above, I have submitted a support request to Onlyfans to ask this specific question and should their answer be different to my interpretation I will update this post to clarify their position.

Now I will discuss the meat of the policy. The sub sections that detail the exact type of content we will be banned from uploading/posting.

Onlyfans Acceptable Use Policy - Policy 5, Section b, Subsection i, ii, iii & iv.

It is in these 4 subsections (highlighted in the image above) that we need to take particular notice of.
These tell us exactly what 'sexually explicit content' we will soon be banned from using on Onlyfans.

Subsection 'i' informs us that we will not be able to post or sell any content that contains:

     "actual or simulated sexual intercourse, including genital-genital, oral-genital, anal-genital, or oral-anal, between persons of any sex;"

Basically any sexual act that involves your genitals, your mouth or your bum in any way. So no intercourse, anal sex or oral sex whether it be actual sex or simulated sex.

I believe this will also cover oral sex on a sex toy as that would most likely fall within the 'simulated intercourse, including oral-genital' part of that statement.

Subsection 'ii' deals with masturbation which simply states:

     "actual or simulated masturbation;"

I think this one is pretty self explanatory in that we cannot show anything where we are either masturbating or pretending to be masturbating.
It may be worth noting that they will probably include 'rubbing' yourself under your clothing in this policy section.

Also worth noting at this point is the term Onlyfans have used in the email and new acceptable use policy. They make a point of using the term 'conduct' over the term 'content'. They are using this term to cover all angles to include things like the 'simulated masturbation'.
Had they used 'content' it would be easy to interpret that as being able to visibly see the act. By using 'conduct' it is the act that is in breach of the policy regardless whether you can see it or not!

Subsection 'iii' explains the body parts that will be banned from being included in our content:

     "any exhibition of the anus or genitals of any person which is extreme or offensive;"

Again relatively self explanatory in what body parts are included in this section, however, the policy itself is a little less clear.

With regards to 'genitals' it would be my understanding that this would  mean 'penis or vagina' and not 'boobs'. Boobs I expect to fall into the 'nudity' category and will be allowed to be posted even after the 1st December.

But, what is classed as 'extreme or offensive'?
I would say any open legs, spread lips or other content that shows, in detail, the vagina would be classed as 'extreme or offensive'. Images of the vagina where only the outer lips with closed legs would be considered acceptable under the 'nudity' allowed clause.

With regards to the penis, that is a little more difficult and I can only go by standards set for TV here in the UK to go by.
Television programs are allowed to show penis' on screen as long as it is flaccid (soft) and not seen to be inserted into anyone or anything. Content of this nature is most likely to fall into the 'nudity' category and will be allowed.

Anything that shows an erect penis, ejaculation or penetration would be classed as 'extreme or offensive' and thus will be banned from Onlyfans.

I do want to make it clear that this is only my best guess at this point as I haven't seen anything, anywhere that gives a definitive explanation of the difference between 'nudity' and 'extreme or offensive'. Please make your own judgement until we have some clearer guidance.

Subsection 'iv' covers Onlyfans final piece of information on what is to be banned:

     "actual or simulated material depicting bodily fluids commonly secreted during sexual conduct;"

So, with this clause, we won't be able to show any form of ejaculation, whether male or female or even sex toys with fake ejaculate.

I would go as far as to say that even showing yourself being 'a little moist', shall we say, will be cause to be in violation of this policy.

I think Onlyfans have covered their bases well overall and don't see any obvious way of getting around these policies.

More importantly I would advise anyone from trying. You can be sure they will be quick to jump on any offenders and any loopholes that may be found will be swiftly closed and in my opinion will be a waste of our time trying to find.

A lot of creators that have read Onlyfans new acceptable use policy may have stopped reading at this point but there is another part of it that is relevant to our situation further down the page. It is regarding the dates and found in section 6.

There is no new information here that we don't already know but it does reinforce the dates that we must have removed all sexually explicit content.
It also highlights, at the end of the highlighted section, that they may move the dates if they feel they want to.

I wanted to include it here as it tells me that there is a strong possibility that this may happen (moving the dates) for them to have took the time to include it in their acceptable use policy.

As I have already stated, it will be wise for us all to work with the dates given but also have a plan should Onlyfans move the goal posts on us AGAIN!

Conclusion

I think it is fair to say that if you are a content creator on Onlyfans and have relied on the platform to earn a living, or even just for some extra spending money, you have been well and truly betrayed. I know that is how I feel.

I should have learned a lesson when Onlyfans removed their 'lifetime commission' for referring other creators. They took that away and screwed creators over after they had referred hundreds of thousands of others to their site building it to where it is now. Why I thought they would hold any value for us as creators after that I don't know?

So what now?

What should we do?

What can we do?

I don't have all the answers and the answers I do have may not suit every creator and their personal circumstances but I do have a lot of ideas and will always do my best to help where I can.

The main thing right now is for us all not to panic or make any rash decisions. We need to take control of the situation and not let what Onlyfans have done to us blind us into making decisions that may not be the best to take and potentially do more harm than good.

We have time, hopefully over 3 months, to make any changes we need to and put ourselves in a position where we can continue to do what we do best.

I have lots of ideas on how we can not only survive but THRIVE! And even use Onlyfans to our advantage! I certainly don't feel I owe anything to them after the way they are kicking us to the curb after getting them to where they are now!

Why shouldn't we use the platform we grew to help us move on and continue in our work? It's the least they owe us don't you think?

I was going to post my ideas and what options I think we have right now below but this is already really long so I am going to leave this post here.

I will post my ideas separately for how I intend to move forward with details of what other options we have and help I can offer to anyone unsure of what to do next and would like to join myself and others in wanting to move forward together.

No one needs to be alone in this. No one needs to try and figure it out on their own if they don't want to.
Now, more than ever, is a time we should work together for each other and make this as painful as possible, maybe even better than it has been!

I am quietly optimistic and you should be too, this isn't the end, this is the start of a new era in this industry. One where I think our voices will be louder than ever.

I will post a link below to my next post once it is posted live on here.

If you have any question you would like me to answer please post them below and I will reply as soon as I can.

Please pass the link to this post to any other creators you know that may be confused or want some help. The bigger our group the stronger we will bounce back.

UPDATE:

I received a reply from support and, as I expected, it was a copy and paste reply that answered none of my question and just directed me to the new acceptable use policy!

There is nothing in the new policy or anywhere else that tells me whether or not fans will have to delete any sexually explicit content that they may have purchased before the 1st December so why send me there?!

What is the point of having 'support' staff if they offer no support?

I will be submitting my questions again, 1 at a time this time, in the hope that I get some answers. I won't give up until I get something that resembles actual answers to my questions!