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As proud members of the LGBTQ+ community, we know first-hand the vile abuse that regularly takes place online. The data is clear; 78% of us have faced anti-LGBTQ+ hate crime or hate speech online in the last 5 years. So we understand why the Government is looking for a solution, but the current version of the Online Safety Bill is not the answer -- it will make things worse not better.

The new law introduces the "duty of care" principle and would give internet companies extensive powers to delete posts that may cause 'harm.' But because the law does not define what it means by 'harm' it could result in perfectly legal speech being removed from the web.

As LGBTQ+ people we have seen what happens when vague rules are put in place to police speech. Marginalised voices are silenced. From historic examples of censors banning LGBTQ+ content to 'protect' the public, to modern day content moderation tools marking innocent LGBTQ+ content as explicit or harmful.

This isn't scaremongering. In 2017, Tumblr's content filtering system marked non-sexual LGBTQ+ content as explicit and blocked it, in 2020 TikTok censored depictions of homosexuality such as two men kissing or holding hands and it reduced the reach of LGBTQ+ posts in some countries, and within the last two months LinkedIn removed a coming out post from a 16-year-old following complaints.

This Bill, as it stands, would provide a legal basis for this censorship. Moreover, its vague wording makes it easy for hate groups to put pressure on Silicon Valley tech companies to remove LGBTQ+ content and would set a worrying international standard.

Growing calls to end anonymity online also pose a danger. Anonymity allows LGBTQ+ people to share their experiences and sexuality while protecting their privacy and many non-binary and transgender people do not hold a form of acceptable ID and could be shut out of social media.

The internet provides a crucial space for our community to share experiences and build relationships. 90% of LGBTQ+ young people say they can be themselves online and 96% say the internet has helped them understand more about their sexual orientation and/or gender identity. This Bill puts the content of these spaces at potential risk.

Racism, homophobia, transphobia, and threats of violence are already illegal. But data shows that when they happen online it is ignored by authorities. After the system for flagging online hate crime was underused by the police, the Home Office stopped including these figures in their annual report all together, leaving us in the dark about the scale of the problem. The government's Bill should focus on this illegal content rather than empowering the censorship of legal speech.

This is why we are calling for "the duty of care", which in the current form of the Online Safety Bill could be used to censor perfectly legal free speech, to be reframed to focus on illegal content, for there to be specific, written, protections for legal LGBTQ+ content online, and for the LGBTQ+ community to be properly consulted throughout the process.

• Stephen Fry , actor, broadcaster, comedian, director, and writer.
• Munroe Bergdorf , model, activist, and writer.
• Peter Tatchell , human rights campaigner.
• Carrie Lyell , Editor-in-Chief of DIVA Magazine.
• James Ball , Global Editor of The Bureau Of Investigative Journalism.
• Jo Corrall , Founder of This is a Vulva.
• Clara Barker , material scientist and Chair of LGBT+ Advisory Group at Oxford University.
• Marc Thompson , Director of The Love Tank and co-founder of PrEPster and BlackOut UK.
• Sade Giliberti , TV presenter, actor, and media personality.
• Fox Fisher , artist, author, filmmaker, and LGBTQIA+ rights advocate.
• Cara English , Head of Public Engagement at Gendered Intelligence, Founder OpenLavs.
• Paula Akpan , journalist, and founder of Black Queer Travel Guide.
• Tom Rasmussen , writer, singer, and drag performer.
• Jamie Wareham , LGBTQ journalist and host of the #QueerAF podcast.
• Crystal Lubrikunt , international drag performer, host, and producer.
• David Robson, Chair of London LGBT+ Forums Network
• Shane ShayShay Konno , drag performer, curator and host of the ShayShay Show, and founder of The Bitten Peach.
• UK Black Pride , Europe's largest celebration for African, Asian, Middle Eastern, Latin America, and Caribbean-heritage LGBTQI+ people.

It's not just state censorship rules that control adult companies, but there are also rules imposed by other organisations for their own reasons. And in this case it is the banking industry that is controlling adult content.

Video sharing site OnlyFans, best known for its creators' adult videos and photos, will prohibit sexually explicit content starting October 1st. The company says it is making the changes because of pressure from its banking and payment providers.

OnlyFans said in a statement emailed to The Verge:

In order to ensure the long-term sustainability of our platform, and to continue to host an inclusive community of creators and fans, we must evolve our content guidelines,.

Creators on the platform will still be allowed to post nude images as long as they comply with the site's acceptable use policy. More information will be available in the coming days. OnlyFans remains committed to the highest levels of safety and content moderation of any social platform.

 

Update: Will OnlyFans censorship pave the way for Bitcoin to become the coinage of online porn

22nd August 2021. See article from newsweek.com

OnlyFans has been effectively banned by moralistic bankers, so will this in turn be an opportunity for the crypto industry to capitalise by offering platforms that are not held to ransom by financial institutions.

Crypto analyst Christina Rud told Newsweek:

What's essentially happening here is that you have payment providers deciding what's right or wrong which is really scary, and definitely not the kind of society that would champion democratic values.

Rud explains that using blockchain-enabled technology is the way forward for the porn industry because content cannot be censored. The technology also has no central entity controlling it. Therefore crypto-led pornography platforms would be immune to the moralizing whims of boardroom politics.

The porn industry has already begun embracing the blockchain. Pornhub first announced it would be accepting cryptocurrency payments in 2018. Then, after it was axed by Visa and Mastercard in 2020, the platform moved to only accepting cryptocurrency for its premium service.

 

Update: Naming names of the disgraceful bankers

24th August 2021. See article from variety.com

The OnlyFans CEO names names of the disgraceful bankers that sought to impose their morality on their customers and have trashed the livelihoods of so many.

OnlyFans founder and chief exec Tim Stokely placed the blame for the U.K. company's move to ban sexually explicit content as of Oct. 1, announced last week, on several major banks in an interview with the Financial Times published Tuesday. He said:

The change in policy, we had no choice -- the short answer is banks, Stokely said. Banks including JP Morgan Chase, Bank of New York Mellon and the U.K.'s Metro Bank cite reputational risk and refuse our business

We pay over 1 million creators over $300 million every month, and making sure that these funds get to creators involves using the banking sector. Because several banks have cut off OnlyFans from making wire transfers, that has made it difficult to pay creators, he said.

Stokely also said that OnlyFans is fully compliant with new Mastercard rules, so that had no bearing on the decision to ban porn. He also said the change was not made to appease investors.

 

Update: A change of heart

24th August 2021. See article from tmz.com

OnlyFans has reversed course and will no longer be banning sexually explicit content on its platform starting October 1 ... after outcry from its creators and the general public. OnlyFans announced:

Thank you to everyone for making your voices heard. We have secured assurances necessary to support our diverse creator community and have suspended the planned October 1 policy change.

As we reported ... OnlyFans blamed its planned porn ban on conflicts with banking partners and payout providers -- suggesting they'd no longer do business with the site due to the sexual content -- but it seems those issues have been resolved.

 

Update: Mastercard censorship rules

28th August 2021. See article from mastercard.com

Mastercard updated its censorship rules for their customers in April 2021. Mastercard wrote:

Enhancing requirements for adult content, preventing anonymous content

This month, we are extending our existing Specialty Merchant Registration requirements. The banks that connect merchants to our network will need to certify that the seller of adult content has effective controls in place to monitor, block and, where necessary, take down all illegal content.

Now, our requirements address the risks associated with this activity. And that starts with strong content control measures and clear, unambiguous and documented consent.

Other updated requirements include:

• Documented age and identity verification for all people depicted and those uploading the content

• Content review process prior to publication

• Complaint resolution process that addresses illegal or nonconsensual content within seven business days

• Appeals process allowing for any person depicted to request their content be removed

 

Update: A good summary from the Guardian

28th August 2021. See article from theguardian.com

Why OnlyFans had second thoughts on banning sexually explicit content. Homegrown adult content site announced last week it was suspending adult content, only to quickly change its mind

Australia's newly appointed internet censor has opened consultations on a range of new measures to implement age verification for mainstream 18 rated movies and also for online porn.

A recently passed censorship law requires content deemed to be R18+ or higher to be behind a restricted access system so it cannot be accessed by children.

Julie Inman-Grant, the Australian eSafety Commissioner announced a plan that will look at technological approaches for online age verification, and comes just months after the federal government agreed in principle to use its digital identity scheme to verify the ages of individuals before they access online pornographic or gambling sites. The plan suggests that will be no action to implement this until 2023.

The current consultation will close on 12 September.

The new age verification requirements will not be limited to material hosted or provided in Australia, but will cover commercially produced and user-generated sexually explicit material being accessed by Australians.

Last week the eSafety Commissioner also opened consultations on the Basic Online Safety Expectations (BOSE) for large social media firms like Facebook, outlining core and additional expectations around the cyberbullying of children and cyber-abuse of adults.

Thousands of sex toys valued at more than 3 million baht (£65,000) have been seized by officers from the Thailand's Child and Women's Welfare Department in Bangkok. Two men were arrested.

Around 5,000 dildos, penis enlargement devices, penis massage oils and lubricating gels were seized from a warehouse.

Police say the men arrested admitted to owning the sex toys and products. The items were shipped from China and then sold through Facebook to customers in Thailand. The men were charged with importing pornographic materials that had not been cleared by customs officials.

Bizarrely sex toys are still illegal in Thailand.