OnlyFans probe reveals how parents have been 'sent explicit images of their daughters'

The OnlyFans Files reveals the grim underbelly of the £5bn a twelvemonth tract - experts archer america astir the risks tally by those who trust connected the big contented tract for income

If you person work thing astir OnlyFans, you person astir apt heard astir what they telephone the 0.1%.

That’s the fewer 1000 “creators” reportedly making $100,000 (£80,000) a period oregon much connected the societal media level from their explicit content. But those earning telephone fig salaries are fewer and acold between. What astir the 90%, much than 4 cardinal radical who person creator accounts but marque a fewer 100 pounds a month, if they are lucky? The police reports I person obtained nether Freedom of Information rules overgarment a bittersweet and depressing representation of beingness for immoderate of them.

My probe published contiguous is astir the astir superior crimes which person allegedly taken spot wherever victims were linked to the site. They see those reported by women who accidental they are being forced into performing connected OnlyFans by coercive oregon convulsive partners who power their earnings. There are allegations of rape, violence, intersexual maltreatment and kid intersexual maltreatment imagery. Many of the women who went to constabulary were intelligibly successful abusive relationships. The determination to articulation OnlyFans, whether it was theirs oregon their partners, retired of prime oregon nether pressure, seemed to person poured petrol implicit that abuse.

An OnlyFans exemplary from Devon and Cornwall claimed her ex-partner, who appears to beryllium nether a restraining order, “stole” photos from her relationship and shared them with her household and friends. She says helium threatened her, turned up astatine her location “in breach of his conditions not to interaction her by immoderate means”, throwing stones astatine her model to aftermath her up. She “pressed her panic alarm and called 999”. We don’t cognize the information of these allegations oregon dozens of akin ones I found. Would the alleged abuser person behaved otherwise if the alleged unfortunate had not been connected OnlyFans? Possibly not. But it doesn’t look to person helped the situation.

In West Yorkshire, a pistillate claimed that she and her ex “previously had an statement to stock photos for wealth but since separating helium has continued without her consent” and “shared intersexual photographs of her connected OnlyFans without her permission”. A fishy has been arrested connected suspicion of “violence against the person” and charged. Many of the women connected the tract effort hard to support their individuality secret. They fell their faces, deterioration wigs, disguise their backgrounds and often take to artifact their contented from appearing to users successful their location country.

But determination are galore claims I recovered of mothers, fathers, grandparents, siblings being sent what indispensable person been profoundly distressing pornographic photos and videos of their daughters, granddaughters and sisters. A pistillate successful South Wales told constabulary however her ex, who allegedly made threats to harm her to her family, besides uploaded an representation of her having enactment to OnlyFans and forwarded it to her mother, member and sister. A institution spokesperson says: “OnlyFans works intimately with instrumentality enforcement agencies astir the world. Unlike different platforms, OnlyFans knows the ineligible individuality of each its users truthful is uniquely placed to enactment investigations. This attack means OnlyFans is an highly hostile situation for anyone seeking to maltreatment our platform.”

In each lawsuit I found, it is casual to hide that OnlyFans is getting a 20% chopped of immoderate income oregon subscriptions connected the site. According to institution accounts, the mean OnlyFans creator grossed conscionable £25 a week connected the tract past year. Fenix International, the genitor company, gets £5 of that. Nearly £2 of which ends up successful the slope relationship of the reclusive owner, Leonid Radvinsky, successful Florida. He seldom speaks,and alternatively the occupation of defending the level is near to women similar OnlyFans CEO Keily Blair and her predecessor Amrapali Gan.

Keily Blair said successful a TEDx speech successful 2023: "We mean each of the contented connected our platform. Every text, each message, each audio clip, each livestream, everything gets moderated. We spot everything. We’re doing it to support our assemblage safe." But I spoke to academics from the Centre for Child Abuse and Trauma Studies astatine Middlesex University. Professor Elena Martellozzo told me: “Platforms similar OnlyFans tin make an situation for exploitation. We perceive occurrence stories of creators earning thousands of pounds but the world is acold much complex. Not everyone achieves fiscal success, yet galore individuals—often successful susceptible situations—are drawn to the level successful the anticipation of making a sustainable income.

“For those facing fiscal hardship, the committedness of casual net tin beryllium a unsafe illusion, starring them to instrumentality greater risks. Many creators, hopeless to pull oregon clasp subscribers, whitethorn consciousness pressured to propulsion their boundaries, escalate their content, oregon comply with demands they mightiness different reject. This tin make a strategy wherever fiscal request tin rapidly crook into exploitation.”

Ten years ago, a video went viral showing an 18-year-old pistillate seemingly “tricked” into performing a enactment enactment successful a Magaluf nightclub connected 24 men. Instead of winning a escaped holiday, she ended up with a £4 cocktail of the aforesaid name. The nationalist were horrified but the young pistillate - known arsenic “Magaluf girl” - remained anonymous. Now porn stars similar Lily Phillips and Bonnie Blue vie to outdo each other, having enactment with 100 oregon 1000 men successful 1 session, portion seemingly making their fortunes connected OnlyFans. Bonnie Blue’s stunt went truthful acold it was banned from the site.

Elena Martellozzo said: “I haven’t travel crossed a azygous affirmative remark astir her [Bonnie Blue], but she’s celebrated now—which seems to person been her goal. This feeds into the "more is better" mentality that platforms similar OnlyFans encourage. The highly competitory quality of the level creates a rhythm of escalation, wherever creators whitethorn consciousness nether expanding unit to nutrient much explicit contented to support up with subscriber demands. This relentless unit erodes idiosyncratic agency, reinforcing the harmful story that 1 indispensable ever beryllium disposable to whoever demands more.”

Her workfellow Paula Bradbury added: “I would beryllium funny to perceive however contented creators specified arsenic Bonnie Blue presumption their experiences successful a fewer years. While they are making tens and hundreds of thousands of pounds retired of it astatine the moment, their perceptions of their experiences whitethorn alteration implicit time.”

For confidential support, telephone the 24-hour National Domestic Abuse Freephone Helpline connected 0808 2000 247 oregon sojourn womensaid.co.uk. If you oregon your household person mislaid a person oregon household subordinate done fatal home abuse, AAFDA (Advocacy After Fatal Domestic Abuse) tin connection specializer and adept enactment and advocacy. For much info visit www.aafda.org.uk.