New Delhi: At least 120 people across the US have complained about how adults-only website OnlyFans profited off of their sexual harassment videos, a Reuters investigation has found. Neither the website nor the perpetrators have been held guilty in these cases so far.
With cases spanning from January 2019 to November 2023, the Reuters report has highlighted concerns over non-consensual content proliferation on OnlyFans, challenging moderation practices and accountability mechanisms of the site.
Launched in 2016, OnlyFans offers a platform where individuals can monetise their sexuality. With top earners raking in millions annually, OnlyFans currently has at least 240 million users.
However, the Reuters investigation has uncovered a darker reality — 128 police complaints involving the site. A majority of the complaints are by women against their former male partners.
According to the women, content, initially produced consensually, was posted subsequently on OnlyFans without their permission and often without their knowledge. The videos were disseminated on other online platforms in 40 percent of these cases, typically as teasers to drive traffic towards longer and more explicit content available for purchase on OnlyFans.
For the report, Reuters contacted over 250 of the largest law enforcement agencies in the US — the biggest market of OnlyFans — about cases involving the site. Among these agencies, 56 provided documentation detailing complaints of explicit and non-consensual content posted on OnlyFans.
Reuters also conducted interviews with police officers, prosecutors, legal experts, and nine individuals who found their sexual images uploaded on OnlyFans without their consent.
Despite the assertion of OnlyFans that it has built “the safest social media platform in the world”, the report finds a systemic failure in safeguarding user consent and privacy.
In response to the findings, an OnlyFans spokesperson reiterated the platform’s commitment to swift action against misuse. However, deletions of offending content often occurred long after the filing of complaints, sometimes after over a year, the investigation found.
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‘Web of deceit’
OnlyFans operates using a subscription-based model, where creators retain 80 percent of what their fans pay, fuelling the exponential growth and profitability of the platform. The rest goes to OnlyFans.
Fenix International, OnlyFans’ British parent company, reported a pre-tax profit of $525 million in 2022, an increase of nearly 100 times in just three years. In 2022, OnlyFans generated more than $1 billion in revenue, a twenty-fold increase in three years, Reuters reported.
While OnlyFans says it to prioritise user safety, the investigation found systemic failures in protecting user consent and privacy. Of the 128 cases, only 28 resulted in an arrest, and eight led to criminal convictions. Many cases were closed due to a lack of evidence, exhausted leads, or accusers deciding not to pursue charges.
The impact of these videos ranges from a Texan woman forced to install a home security system after being harassed by stalkers who saw a viral OnlyFans video of her to a Nebraska woman harassed after her pictures were sold for $5 on the website and a woman never able to take any legal recourse because the videos never featured her face.
Beyond the United States, OnlyFans’ global expansion also remains marred by allegations of abuse and exploitation from Australia, Romania, and Britain. There is no explicit criminal statute that targets non-consensual porn. There have been three prosecutions of nonconsensual porn in the US under federal anti-trafficking statutes, but OnlyFans was not implicated in any case.
The legal landscape surrounding non-consensual pornography remains murky, adding to difficulties. While 48 states and territories in the US have criminalised non-consensual porn, weak enforcement, and loopholes affect judicial procedures.
Paywall problem
Adding to these challenges is the paywall surrounding OnlyFans creators, making it difficult for law enforcement to monitor content systematically. Moreover, reluctance to press charges, lack of technical expertise, and prioritisation of other crimes contribute to perpetrators escaping accountability.
Officials from law enforcement have stated that, despite the publicity surrounding high-profile cases, OnlyFans is extremely difficult to systematically monitor due to its massive user base and the paywalls surrounding its producers.
“OnlyFans is largely a black box to outsiders, much less accessible than social media sites like Instagram, X and Facebook,” the Reuters report said.
Police have claimed that cost restrictions are why some law enforcement agencies choose not to subscribe to OnlyFans accounts.
Perpetrators of non-consensual porn are not held accountable for other reasons, too. Reuters found some individuals are hesitant to file accusations against ex-lovers. The police either don’t have the necessary training or don’t consider cybercrime cases serious enough to warrant pursuing specialised evidence. Police and prosecutors, who are male mostly, may make women feel uncomfortable sharing graphic photos.
Despite mounting scrutiny, law enforcement officials face significant challenges in holding perpetrators accountable, compounded by the platform’s opaque nature and the complexities of cybercrime investigation.
Meanwhile, the survivors await justice. It is what a 21-year-old survivor describes as profiting off the trauma of victims.
“A whole company has made money off of my biggest trauma,” she adds.
(Edited by Madhurita Goswami)