Creators’ e-commerce company Gumroad has updated its rules to more strictly restrict NSFW content, citing restrictions from payment processors like Stripe and PayPal.
For creators who sell adult artwork, such as sexually explicit comic books or obscene cosplay photos, these sudden policy changes can be harmful, causing unforeseen revenue losses.
“I care about my livelihood and the livelihoods of all types of creators in my field: artists, writers, sex workers, and content creators of all kinds,” kink educator and author Sleepingirl told TechCrunch. “This is obviously not the first site to succumb to pressure from payment processors, and it won’t be the last, but it is the first time that my content (mainly academic and educational) has been threatened.”
Adult creators are taught to expect this kind of deplatforming; it’s happened on Patreon, which used to have much looser rules on NSFW content, and it almost happened on OnlyFans as well. But this does not lessen the impact of these policy changes. This friction can lead to lost revenue when creators must move fans to new platforms, or direct fans to different online stores to purchase their products.
“We have been asked to enforce our terms of service more strictly and must comply,” Gumroad founder Sahil Lavingia told TechCrunch. He declined to say which company asked Gumroad to enforce the stricter rules. “Obviously, this is a terrible thing to do. We don’t take it lightly, many creators rely on Gumroad to make a living, and communicate this to our partners wherever they go,” he said. “We’ve been doing this since 2011, this is not a new fight. It’s ongoing.”
The decision is also bad for Gumroad’s business: the platform takes a 10% cut of every sale, and adult content is popular on the platform. Competitors such as Just For Fans have seize the opportunity Help these displaced creators.
Monetizing online sexual content is becoming increasingly difficult. In 2021, OnlyFans announced that it would no longer host adult content, which was confusing given that the site is almost synonymous with sex (OnlyFans had tried to promote its Safe Work product, with limited success). The site encountered so much resistance that it changed direction; OnlyFans is now able to accept credit card payments from Visa/Mastercard as it complies with the payment processor’s recently stricter adult content policy. People who appear for pornographic content on OnlyFans must verify their identity through legal documents and biometric scans, and must sign a form confirming that all models agree to be recorded.
These strict restrictions have trickled down to artists who don’t actually perform in porn or represent real people in their work at all.
“Gumroad’s listing of ‘sexual coaching services or explicit instructional content’ as prohibited content makes me worry not only about my income, but the entire discussion of safe sex and kinks,” Sleepingirl said.
Patreon also updated its adult content guidelines this week to more precisely define what is allowed on the site. Adult creators don’t think the timing is a coincidence.
“Personally, I don’t know what to do next,” Sleepinggirl said. “I’m trying to plan my next steps, but Gumroad is an ideal free storefront for the ebooks and instructional videos I sell and all other types of digital content. Almost every other service charges high monthly fees and the terms of service have prohibited Adult content.”
As for Gumroad, Lavingia doesn’t know what the company will do next.
“Should Gumroad hire a lobbyist?” he asked in an email to TechCrunch.
