Gumroad, an e-commerce company for creators, updated their rules to more strictly limit NSFW content, citing restrictions from payment processors like Stripe and PayPal.
For creators who sell adult art, such as explicit comics or lewd cosplay photography, these sudden policy changes can be disruptive and lead to an unexpected loss of revenue.
“I’m concerned on multiple levels about my livelihood and the livelihood of all kinds of creators in my field: artists, writers, sex workers, and content creators of all kinds,” Sleepingirl, a kinky educator and writer, told TechCrunch. “Obviously, this is far from the first site to bow to pressure from payment processors, and it won’t be the last, but this is the first time my content (which is primarily academic and educational) appears to be threatened.”
Adult creators are taught to anticipate this type of deplatforming; has happened Patreonwhich used to be much more lax on NSFW content, and it almost happened in Fans. But that doesn’t make the impact of these policy changes any less debilitating. When creators have to move their followers to a new platform or direct fans to a different web store to purchase their products, friction can result in lost revenue.
“We have been asked to be more rigorous in enforcing our ToS and we must comply,” Gumroad founder Sahil Lavingia told TechCrunch. He declined to say which company asked Gumroad to enforce stricter rules. “Obviously, it sucks to do this. “We do not take lightly that many creators rely on Gumroad for their livelihood and have communicated this to our partners wherever and whenever we can,” he said. “We have been around since 2011 and this is not a new fight. It is ongoing.”
This decision will not be good for Gumroad’s business either: the platform takes 10% of each sale and adult content is popular on the platform. Competitors, such as Just For Fans, are already jumping at the opportunity to incorporate these displaced creators.
It is increasingly difficult to monetize sexual works online. In 2021, OnlyFans announced that it would no longer host adult content, which was disconcerting since the site is almost synonymous with sex (OnlyFans has attempted to boost its safe offers for work, with little success). The site suffered so much rejection that it changed course; Onlyfans can now accept Visa/Mastercard credit card payments as it complies with the payment processor’s recent and more stringent adult content policies. People appearing in pornography on Onlyfans must verify their identity through legal documents and biometric scans, and must sign a form confirming that all models gave consent to be recorded.
These increasingly strict restrictions have reached performers, who don’t actually perform in porn and don’t represent real people in their work at all.
“The fact that Gumroad lists ‘sexual training services or explicit instructional content’ as prohibited content worries me not only for my income, but also for the discussion of safe sex and kinky practices in general,” Sleepingirl said.
Patreon too updated its adult content guidelines this week to more precisely define what is allowed on the site. Adult creators don’t see this moment as a coincidence.
“Personally, I don’t know what to do next with my content,” Sleepingirl said. “I’m trying to plan next steps, but Gumroad was an ideal free store for e-books and how-to videos like the ones I sell, and all other types of digital content. Almost all other services charge a hefty monthly fee and have terms of service that no longer allow adult content.”
As for Gumroad, Lavingia doesn’t know what the company should do next.
“Should Gumroad hire a lobbyist?” he asked in an email to TechCrunch.