Turkey has blocked all of the country’s access to adult subscription site OnlyFans following a campaign by conservatives against the platform over pornography.
The site has reportedly been banned over morality concerns, which have been backed by the country’s leaders.
The platform, which is based in London, is popular for hosting porn content from sex workers and models, but the country-wide ban in Turkey is expected to be implemented imminently.
The ban has not been officially announced by the country, but local reports have said that access is already being prohibited.
Users attempting to access OnlyFans are now being restricted, and met with warning messages that state the connection is “no longer secure”.
The supposed ban came after a petition was created that called for its prohibition, saying that it “promotes the pursuit of money through immoral means”.
The petition was passed to the Turkish Government, with the unnamed petitioner asking for a complete ban on OnlyFans and all similar platforms, citing the potential erosion of public morals and the Turkish family structure if decisive action is not taken.
Social-media users have taken to sites such as Twitter to now say that, although it will be banned, people in Turkey would still be able to access the site using a VPN (Virtual Private Network).
It's easy for those who want to access it. It is impossible to block things now a days just use VPN😀🍺
— ምን ይሻላል ? (@Zesemir) June 7, 2023
But who else has taken issue with the site? Here is everything we know.
What is OnlyFans?
OnlyFans is an online platform which is a subscription site, for adults, set up in 2016.
Users must be 18 to sign up and users typically pay for content, such as live streams, photos, and videos, from their favourite creators via a monthly membership.
Content is created by YouTubers, fitness trainers, models, content creators, and public figures but it is mostly used by adult content creators for content that is of a sexual nature.
Is OnlyFans careful with subscribers?
The site says it has a minimum age sign-up of 18, but critics such as the Internet Matters groups have previously voiced concerns over this being aptly monitored.
The site introduced a new account-verification process in 2019 and creators must provide a ‘selfie’ and their ID to set up an account.
In a statement, OnlyFans previously said: “We constantly review our systems to ensure they are as robust as possible. If we are alerted to any underage individual who has gained or tried to gain illegitimate access to the platform, we will always take immediate steps to investigate and suspend the account.”
Which countries have banned the site?
Turkey is not the first country to have banned the platform, and it joins a host of others who have made a stand.
Dubai
The country has a strict policy against adult content, and the government has taken steps to block access to the platform since its creation.
Russia
Russia blocked access to the site in February of this year, after local reports were made that access had been stopped with a “restricted error” message popping up for locals.
The government cited the platform’s “immoral” content as the reason for the ban.
OnlyFans said in a statement: “Over the past few months, we have explored several options to continue providing our services to creators impacted by the Russia/Ukraine war.
“However, due to a further tightening of payment restrictions to and from Russia, OnlyFans can no longer properly serve our Russian creator community.”
India
The country has access to the site but it is illegal in India to post content as a creator.
Anyone who posts sexual content online is regarded as breaking the law per Indian legislation, and there’s no exception on the platform.
Belarus
In Belarus, the government previously blocked access to OnlyFans due to its “anti-social” content but the site is not illegal to access. The government has also historically taken steps to block access to other social media platforms, such as Facebook and Twitter.
