Porn platform quits Russia over sanctions

OnlyFans, a subscription-based video platform commonly associated with pornographic content, stopped serving accounts belonging to Russian content creators, the company said in a statement on Thursday.

The decision to “temporarily pause” accounts was made as OnlyFans could “no longer properly serve the Russian creator community due to a further tightening of payment restrictions to and from Russia,” part of the statement was quoted by Motherboard, the tech news section of the Vice internet publication.

The UK-based platform was popularized by sex workers and is primarily used by adult content creators, however it also hosts content creators from other areas, such as physical fitness and music. Established in 2016, it has so far paid more than $5 billion to registered content creators worldwide.

It’s unclear from the statement whether Russian-based users of OnlyFans will still be able to access their subscriptions on the platform.

In February OnlyFans briefly blocked access to Russian creators but soon restored the accounts, saying that they “will have full functionalities as long as we continue to have payment methods to support them.”

Russian creators and vendors have been barred from making money on the most popular Western platforms, such as Twitch, YouTube, Etsy and Meta-owned Instagram and Facebook. International payment systems Visa, PayPal, American Express and Mastercard suspended operations in Russia, making it impossible for many Russians to receive or send foreign payments.

Last November, a group of activists in Russia called for criminal proceedings against OnlyFans for producing and spreading “illegal” pornographic materials in the country. The service has also been criticized for failing to prevent child sexual abuse material from circulating on the platform.

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