WASHINGTON, DC (March 19, 2024) – The National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE) called on the Department of Justice (DOJ) to launch an investigation into OnlyFans given news reports that nonconsensual sexual content has been shared on the platform. OnlyFans is on NCOSE’s 2023 Dirty Dozen List of mainstream contributors to sexual exploitation and has been on the list for three consecutive years since 2021. (The 2024 Dirty Dozen List will be revealed on April 10, 2024.)
“Through public records requests to the largest U.S. law enforcement agencies and a review of court cases, Reuters identified 128 cases in which adults complained that sexual content featuring them had been posted on OnlyFans without their consent between January 2019 and November 2023,” Reuters reported.
“OnlyFans has been further confirmed as serial sexual exploiter. The platform may ‘hide’ behind a paywall, but the new Reuters investigation reveals how women’s lives are being destroyed by image-based sexual abuse – including rape and sexual assault – that has been posted on OnlyFans without their knowledge or consent. The Department of Justice must immediately open an investigation into OnlyFans so that victims can find justice, and so that OnlyFans is forced to confront this widespread abuse,” said Dawn Hawkins, CEO, National Center on Sexual Exploitation.
“OnlyFans profits from content that is posted on its platform, which means it is profiting from the sexual abuse and exploitation of women, children, and men. OnlyFans portrays itself as a glamorous and ‘safe’ way to make money quickly, but the reality is much different, as even ‘creators’ report facing a myriad of serious harms, including doxing, stalking, rape, abuse, and physical threats from subscribers and traffickers/pimps. For example, Andrew Tate is being prosecuted in Romania for allegedly trafficking women on OnlyFans.
“Congress can also exert pressure to give victims of OnlyFans justice, as there are several bills that would help protect against all forms of image-based sexual abuse, including AI-generated/deepfake pornography. Congress should pass solutions like the PROTECT Act, the DEFIANCE Act, the SHIELD Act, and the Preventing Deepfakes of Intimate Images Act. Congress and the Department of Justice must prioritize how they can confront the rise of sexual abuse and exploitation on OnlyFans and other online platforms,” Hawkins said.
About National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE)
Founded in 1962, the National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE) is the leading national non-partisan organization exposing the links between all forms of sexual exploitation such as child sexual abuse, prostitution, sex trafficking and the public health harms of pornography. https://endsexualexploitation.org/
