Introduction
Launching a business on the wide web has become a form of survival for many content creators around the world, especially post-COVID restrictions. Employees were forced into working from home, or furthermore became unemployed as a result of the pandemic. Losing income, combined with the absence of social freedom, encouraged many people to shift towards adult subscription sites to earn a living.
As unemployment was rising globally, subscriptions to adult entertainment sites also skyrocketed – both content creators and consumers navigated towards these pay-per-view sites. According to Financial Times, OnlyFans boomed during the lockdowns as the user-count skyrocketed from 20 million to over 120 million. Additionally, Variety reported that OnlyFans’ generated profits of $433 million for the year ended November 2021, up from $61 million from the year before. So, it’s safe to say that OnlyFans became a lifeline for many, either for financial security, or purely enjoyment at a time in need.
OnlyFans has arguably revolutionized the adult industry by helping sex workers monetize their services, in the comfort of their homes. They are able to earn a buck at a time where many (and I mean many!) free porn alternatives exist on the internet, empowering its content creators who work in a cut-throat industry. So, “what is OnlyFans?” you ask…
What is OnlyFans?
According to the social platform itself, the mission of OnlyFans is revolutionizing creator and fan connections: “the site is inclusive of artists and content creators from all genres and allows them to monetize their content while developing authentic relationships with their fanbase.”
OnlyFans is a content subscription service that connects content creators of all sorts, with supporters. The platform was founded back in November 2016 by a British businessman, Timothy Stokely, which earned him the title “King of Homemade Porn.” Although OnlyFans is used by people employed in various industries – such as personal trainers and musicians – the site swiftly became the hot spot for posting and consuming personalized adult content.
Today, OnlyFans is actively used by 150 million registered users, and has become a reliable source of income at a difficult time full of uncertainty. The social media platform gained traction by content creators as it allows them to take control of their influence and earnings, at a mere twenty percent commission rate. They can post their original content behind a paywall and charge up to $49.99 per subscriber, taking control over who can access their services.
How does OnlyFans work?
OnlyFans has been invented in a way that allows content creators to build genuine relationships with their fans, creating an atmosphere of trust on the platform. Models are able to share their exclusive photos and videos at a price they deem worthy, which gives them complete control of their valuation.
OnlyFans models have the power to decide how much of their personality they want to share with their fans, giving them total control over their image. They might reveal that they enjoy eating pickles straight from the jar, or perhaps they binge-watch way too many reality TV shows. Whatever the details are, genuine relationships are formed with paying supporters, instead of basic, superficial business transactions. Some creators choose to remain anonymous altogether which is also a possibility on OnlyFans.
The platform has a two-way communication channel between both parties via direct messaging, meaning that fans can chat with their favored models, and vice versa. Models might want to direct message their client to get to know them more, meaning that they can produce tailored content for their client whilst forming better connections with them.
The flexibility of the platform allows OnlyFans models to arrange payment plans that suit their needs: they have the option of cashing out their balance at any time, and as regularly as they need. Weekly or monthly payment schedules can also be set up.
There are multiple ways of generating income on OnlyFans:
- Through monthly subscriptions
- Pay-per-view content
- Direct messaging
- Tips
Creators have the power to charge up to $100 for each pay-per-view they sell and for each direct message they send. Fans are allowed to tip their idols for the content they enjoyed consuming.
Another reason why OnlyFans is such a hit is because of how inclusive it is. Anyone over the legal age can sign up to the site and sell their services to supporters, regardless of the industry they are in: chefs, fitness trainers, and musicians. Creators are expected to provide a government ID for identity confirmation, which preserves the authenticity of the platform.
How does OnlyFans protect your content?
Posting on the internet can sometimes be accompanied with risks of data breaches and content leaks so it is essential that you take precautions to protect your content, especially whilst using an intimate platform like OnlyFans.
“Revolutionize the creator economy by building the safest social media platform and providing unparalleled opportunities to our creators and fans,” the OnlyFans team stated, claiming this as their vision. So, what does the site offer for OnlyFans content protection?
The site provides a wide range of security measures to protect both the creator and the fan, the first one being the option to make their account private, meaning the creator controls who they wish to allow access to their content. OnlyFans creators are offered restrictive tools, like blocking certain fans from direct messaging them, or furthermore blocking them from seeing your content altogether.
Two-factor authentication adds an extra layer of security for OnlyFans users, safeguarding the account from cyberthieves. OnlyFans users are able to watermark their content, which again, protects their account from copyright but also strengthens the brand’s online presence.
How OnlyFans protects its users
OnlyFans claims that it is committed to protecting its user’s data.
Firstly, OnlyFans is rigorous when it comes to confirming user identities. Creators are required to prove they really are who they say they are, nine times. Likewise, fans are expected to prove their identity, too. This creates a safe atmosphere for both the creator and the fan.
Passing this barrier does not mean you are free from identity checks. OnlyFans continues to monitor users by means of technology and human intelligence to guarantee user and content safety.
Users can trust OnlyFans with their personal information as security measures are put in place: the data is encrypted and kept in a separate server. This is to minimize the risk of hacking and security breaches. OnlyFans has its own dedicated Copyright Team, which seemingly tackles copyright infringements thoroughly and issues DMCA notices to protect its users from copyright infringements.
OnlyFans claims to have its users’ backs in regards to safety and data protection, so content creators don’t ever have to worry about “how does OnlyFans protect your content?” or “does OnlyFans protect your identity?”
How to protect your identity on OnlyFans
Being an OnlyFans model might seem daring or even scary for newcomers. Perhaps you want to remain anonymous for whatever reason. If you are one of them, it probably will relieve you to know that there are many tools you can take advantage of to protect your identity on OnlyFans.
- Consider using a nickname instead of your actual birth name.
- Hide your face! It’s practically impossible to not be recognized if people can identify who you are.
- Do not share sensitive, intimate details about yourself. Your fans do not need to know the town your parents are from, or where you enjoy sipping coffee on a Thursday afternoon.
- Conceal your IP address by using a trusted VPN.
Keeping the mystery alive is always a good idea for an OnlyFans model, as many dangers are lurking on the internet. The platform itself demonstrated the actions users can consider taking to protect their identity on OnlyFans, which is available to read here.
Why should OnlyFans models protect their content?
Being a sex worker is not a ride in the park as it can become toxic, competitive and demanding at times. Alongside this, you constantly face people that look down their nose at the profession, which can be quite frustrating. The job itself already had its challenges pre-OnlyFans, so it’s annoying that the industry’s digital transformation birthed further risks that it is necessary to be aware of.
We have compiled a list of attacks OnlyFans models might face at any point in time.
OnlyFans leaks
Discovering your OnlyFans leaks is not only anxiety-inducing, but is also incredibly insulting as you will have lost control of your hard work. OnlyFans removes copyright infringements from its platform as it complies with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, however, illegal distribution of stolen OnlyFans content continues to be a problem for some.
So, what does it mean when you discover your leaked OnlyFans?
OnlyFans models sell their content for a certain price, and so once the content is leaked, they will have lost opportunities to generate income using that content. More importantly, stolen OnlyFans content betrays the model’s right to bodily autonomy.
Stolen OnlyFans
Identity theft is another ugly risk of existing on the internet. Creators could be at risk of impersonation, meaning that their online identity will be stolen and imitated. They might then go onto pirating and illegally distributing the OnlyFans leaks. This could be detrimental to the model’s reputation, but also their finances, too.
Harassment
Your clients may cross the fine line of professionalism or become emotionally attached to you, unfortunately leading to harassment. If at any time you find yourself facing harassment, bullying or aggressive behaviors, blocking the cyberbully will prevent them from being able to access you.
Reporting them to OnlyFans is also a good idea as it promises to suspend accounts that violates its terms of service.
How to know if someone has stolen your OnlyFans content?
So, we discovered that protecting OnlyFans content safeguards the model’s mental health and income opportunities. For many creators, OnlyFans brings around a reliable source of income and sometimes takes up a lot of their time. It can be quite a challenge to work full time and monitor the platform for copyright infringements.
This is where copyright protection services come in handy.
How can Rulta help?
Subscribing to Rulta is an effective way to maximize your OnlyFans content protection as we prioritize your safety and copyright protection. We fight for the preservation of your copyrights by monitoring the internet and social media platforms. This is achieved via computer software and facial recognition programs developed by our specialists.
We thoroughly crawl 32 thousand websites on a daily basis, scanning for copyright infringements and report any illegally shared content discovered, removing the risk of you being exposed or exploited.
Having close relationships with other hosting sites assists you in the takedown process as the DMCA takedown notices Rulta issues for you are quickly taken into consideration, and the illegal content is removed efficiently.
And last but not least, Google Search and Google Images are continuously monitored: we have a track record of having all infringed content we have reported up until today, successfully delisted from Google Search and Google Images results.
For the past eight years, we have been guaranteeing brand protection for hundreds of content creators. Today we work with almost 2,000 content creators – of which over 90 percent are OnlyFans models – ensuring maximum monetization and popularity.
We are here to help you stay safe and successfully grow your business. Try for free today.