Rep. Paul Gosar applauded the announcement from OnlyFans which confirmed the site would ban pornography from October on, following his initiation of Congressional pressure against the site in April this year.
OnlyFans, where the vast majority of users are women posting sexually explicit videos and images for paying customers, announced that by October that the platform will ban any “sexually-explicit content,” in order to “ensure the long-term sustainability of the platform and to continue to host an inclusive community of creators and fans.”
In a statement, the company started by British entrepreneur Tim Stokely declared that creators will still be able to post content containing nudity as long as it falls within their “Acceptable Use” policy. Such content would most likely include artistic nudity and other such examples, but would clearly exclude the vast majority of content currently being posted onto their platform by their 2 million “creators.”
Rep. Paul Gosar, one of the most well-known America First members of Congress, applauded the move from OnlyFans as a “positive development,” and that he was “glad to see” them move to ban “illicit content.”
It’s a positive development when women and children are protected. Glad to see @OnlyFans move to ban illicit content.
Earlier this year I initiated the pressure for an investigation: https://t.co/362If71MMM
— Rep. Paul Gosar, DDS (@RepGosar) August 19, 2021
As National File reported, Gosar started to put pressure on OnlyFans in April of this year, when he demanded that the Department of Justice investigate the site for allegedly breaking sex trafficking legislation. In the letter, Gosar suggested that they should be investigated under the 1910 Mann Act, which bans “interstate transportation of an individual for an immoral, or illegal purpose.” It noted that OnlyFans operates across state lines, and “while probably immunized from tort under Section 230, does appear to facilitate and even encourage interstate travel of the sort directly targeted by the Mann Act.”
“Perhaps [the Department of Justice] could consider opening an investigation into this troubling website,” Gosar wrote. “The protection of vulnerable people from coercion of illegal or immoral sexual activity should be a priority of your department, and online platforms should not be immunized from accountability.”
The statement from OnlyFans confirmed that the move was due to pressure from banks and “payout providers.” Bloomberg noted that the platform is currently trying to raise more money from investors at a valuation of $1 billion. The plans to purge sexually explicit content may have been in the pipeline for a while – in January this year, the site launched OFTV, a safe-for-work app available on iPhone and Android phones, which was the first signal that such a ban was on the way.
The site boomed in popularity during the pandemic, as many women turned to the online platform to make money while employment in many other areas had dried up. It has received serious criticism from many on both the right and left, due to the predatory nature of its sign up system – anyone who refers a new user gets a percentage of their earnings, incentivizing the recruitment of as many people onto the site as possible. It is unclear what will happen to the sexually explicit content currently posted on the site.