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In 2025, uploading a butt selfie on the internet could end with a bank transfer or a prison sentence. Depending on where you live. While some of us take for granted the ability to monetize our thirst traps in peace, the reality for sex workers and creators across the globe is far more precarious. From Indonesia to India, OnlyFans has become the latest scapegoat in a widespread campaign of digital censorship, with more countries banning or restricting the platform altogether. And no, it’s not just about protecting the children.
OnlyFans, launched in 2016 as a subscription-based platform for creators of all kinds, rapidly evolved into a dominant space for adult content, ushering in a new wave of autonomy for sex workers, cam stars, and bedroom entrepreneurs. It’s a site where creators set their own rules, cut out exploitative intermediaries, and blur the line between intimacy and capitalism. Which, naturally, made governments very uncomfortable.
Because when people profit off their own pleasure, the systems built to control them start to crack.
The 2025 bans on OnlyFans aren’t just about blocking sexually explicit content. They’re about reinforcing conservative values, policing gender norms, and criminalizing financial independence that doesn’t come with institutional oversight.
Take Indonesia, where adult content is criminalized under its sweeping anti-pornography law passed in 2008. In a chilling example from 2024, an OnlyFans creator was arrested alongside nine other women for allegedly “spreading obscene content.” That same creator had previously served 10 months in prison on similar charges. The message? Sex work online is not just frowned upon; it’s legally dangerous.
In India, the government allows access to the platform but prohibits the creation of adult content within the country. Posting sexually explicit material online can lead to criminal prosecution under the Information Technology Act and the Indian Penal Code. The penalty? A possible fine of up to one million rupees (around $12,000 USD) and up to seven years in prison. And yes, financial institutions can freeze accounts tied to this work, making earnings harder to access or transfer.
Russia allows creators to upload content, but due to financial sanctions imposed in response to the war in Ukraine, many international payment services no longer process transactions in or out of the country. That means creators can post all they want, but they can’t get paid, effectively neutering the entire premise of the platform.
A growing list of countries has moved toward full prohibition of the site, either through explicit laws or sweeping internet censorship policies. These include:
In many of these countries, accessing pornographic content is already illegal under the law. Platforms like OnlyFans (particularly when associated with LGBTQ+ identities or women asserting erotic agency) are painted as “moral threats” or tools for so-called Western cultural invasion. But what these governments are really doing is eliminating a digital space that allows marginalized people to reclaim control over their sexual image and monetize it.
In places like Iran and Saudi Arabia, bans are often coupled with aggressive punishment, surveillance, and even corporal penalties. It’s not just about content creation; even being caught viewing adult material can be a criminal act.
Some countries take a split approach, allowing the platform to exist in theory while criminalizing the act of content creation. This leads to murky legal territory for creators who may not know until it's too late that they’ve crossed a legal line.
In Malaysia, for instance, laws against "immoral" online content are broad and inconsistently enforced but still carry the threat of legal action. Legal experts in the country have pointed out that Section 292 of the Penal Code, which outlaws the distribution of obscene material, is often used to target online sex work.
In Thailand, adult content creators often operate in legal gray areas. While pornography is technically illegal under Thai law, enforcement varies. Yet creators still risk arrest, especially if their content is deemed “obscene” by authorities—a notoriously subjective standard.
Meanwhile, in Turkey, Vietnam, and the Philippines, OnlyFans remains accessible, but the risk of government censorship persists. Sporadic access restrictions, surveillance, and ambiguous laws regarding “indecent” content make the platform risky for local users. In some cases, VPN use may enable viewing, but uploading remains a legal gamble.
When governments ban platforms like OnlyFans, they send a clear message: erotic labor, especially when self-directed and profit-producing, is a threat to the status quo. OnlyFans isn’t squeaky clean… but it offered one of the first public digital spaces where creators held the reins over their audience, profits, and limits. For many, it became a pathway out of poverty. For some, it was survival.
So dear reader, the next time someone scoffs at a subscription service for “nudes,” remind them that behind every post is a fight not just for dollars, but for control, safety, and the right to exist online with desire, dignity, and a high-res thirst trap.
In the meantime, enjoy these OnlyFans Creators.
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