OnlyFans suspends policy change after backlash

OnlyFans has announced that it will delay making changes to policy on content creation, following a widespread backlash by its users.

The content subscription service announced plans last week to block sexually explicit photos and videos from October.

On Wednesday, it tweeted that it has "suspended the planned 1 October policy change".

It is currently unclear if the delay will be permanent.

OnlyFans wrote on twitter that it would "continue to provide a home for all creators".

"Thank you to everyone for making your voices heard," said the company.

"We have secured assurances necessary to support our diverse creator community and have suspended the planned 1 October policy change.

"OnlyFans stands for inclusion and we will continue to provide a home for all creators."

And in an email to its content creators, it said: "The proposed 1 October 2021 changes are no longer required, due to banking partners' assurances that OnlyFans can support all genres of creators. "OnlyFans is committed to providing a safe and dependable platform for all creators and their fans."

One OnlyFans creator, from London, welcomed the announcement but said those who had already found new homes for their content may still not return.

"So it is short-term good news for sex workers reliant on the platform - and I would like to see this as the start of increased support, celebration and championing of sex-worker rights by OnlyFans," he told BBC News.

"But I think there may well have been enough anxiety caused to see many models continuing the move to other platforms."

OnlyFans makes its money by taking 20% of all payments made to its content creators.

The platform reported a 75% increase in new creators in May last year, during lockdown.

Wariness from investors was originally claimed to be the reason for last week's announcement.

But founder Tim Stokely blamed banks penalising the company for supporting sex workers.

"JPMorgan Chase is particularly aggressive in closing accounts of sex workers or...  any business that supports sex workers," he told the Financial Times on Tuesday.

But a JPMorgan spokeswoman told BBC News it had "no such policy".

In June, a BBC News investigation found children had used fake ID to set up accounts on the site.

And the children's commissioner for England said OnlyFans needed to do more to stop under-age users.

In response to the investigation, OnlyFans said it had closed the accounts flagged and refunded all active subscriptions.