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Behind the billion-pound success of OnlyFans lies a hidden ecosystem of exploitation. A BBC Current Affairs investigation uncovers allegations of exploitation, coercion and violence committed by some of the hundreds of agents who manage many of the platform’s creators as well as the potential for modern slavery.
Through survivor testimony, undercover access to a managers’ chat forum and expert legal analysis, the film exposes an industry where young women are trapped, threatened and profited from - raising urgent questions about accountability at the heart of one of Britain's most lucrative tech companies.
Through survivor testimony, undercover access to a managers’ chat forum and expert legal analysis, the film exposes an industry where young women are trapped, threatened and profited from - raising urgent questions about accountability at the heart of one of Britain's most lucrative tech companies.
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00:00:15You don't know what's going on, if you want to fuck off, fuck off then, fucking beat it.
00:00:32OnlyFans is a British website, best known for hosting pornography.
00:00:38The website's made millions from selling photos and videos.
00:00:42OnlyFans.
00:00:43OnlyFans.
00:00:43OnlyFans.com.
00:00:45OnlyFans, the British company that's transformed how explicit content is made and sold.
00:00:51We don't try to be everyone's cup of tea.
00:00:53We're happy to be someone's glass of champagne.
00:00:55The champion empowerment and independence, especially for women.
00:01:02But beneath the surface, the website's rapid growth has attracted a new entrepreneur.
00:01:08So you're thinking about starting an OnlyFans management agency?
00:01:11I know that there is a market for this.
00:01:13I've just effectively made a few hundred grand, sat there.
00:01:16Honestly, there's never been a better time to jump in than right now.
00:01:20They called themselves OnlyFans managers.
00:01:25Behind the industry's promise of freedom and fast money, a different story was unfolding.
00:01:32I don't think there's anything intrinsically wrong with women doing OnlyFans, as long as
00:01:35I had influence and control over it.
00:01:37What do you mean?
00:01:42They've told me to do the explicit content.
00:01:45It just made me feel so disgusting, so degraded.
00:01:49What if this wasn't just a new business model?
00:01:52What if it was something far more troubling?
00:01:57They threw me up the stairs and back at them.
00:01:59And they were on top of me strangling me.
00:02:02They thought, this is it.
00:02:04Paid out 25 billion to creators.
00:02:07There are not very many tech companies that can talk about creating wealth.
00:02:11OnlyFans is the UK's greatest social media success.
00:02:15But are they betraying the creators who made them billions?
00:02:20And on a platform built on autonomy, who's really in control?
00:02:41This is one of Manchester's wealthiest neighbourhoods.
00:02:46I'm talking footballers, millionaires.
00:02:52I'd been sent to look into Britain's booming OnlyFans industry.
00:02:58I knew the platform had exploded in recent years.
00:03:02But what was happening behind the scenes wasn't clear.
00:03:06I think it's around here somewhere.
00:03:10I was on my way to an OnlyFans content shoot day.
00:03:15A group of creators had been brought together by their manager
00:03:19to make videos and photos for their OnlyFans profile.
00:03:32What is going on here?
00:03:35Oh, yeah, sorry.
00:03:36Don't let me get in the way of the content.
00:03:42It's just like, content is just happening everywhere
00:03:44and I'm getting people shot.
00:03:47She was close.
00:03:49Hello, how are you?
00:03:50Hi, how are you?
00:03:51I'm Amber.
00:03:51I'm so sorry.
00:03:52No, it's fine.
00:03:54I'm a handsome reason.
00:03:55Tell me about today.
00:03:57No, you tell me about today.
00:03:58I've been to one of these before.
00:04:00I'm just slowly taking it in, my friend.
00:04:02It's a bit, when I went to my first one, it was a bit like, wow.
00:04:08Before OnlyFans, I was a barber.
00:04:10So I used to cut hair.
00:04:11So I didn't think it was going to be a massive thing.
00:04:14How much are you making?
00:04:16Is it, like, what's a healthy month for you?
00:04:19If I make over 10, I'm happy.
00:04:2110k?
00:04:22Yeah, $10,000.
00:04:23So that's £7,500.
00:04:26That is a lot of money, though.
00:04:28£7,500.
00:04:30It is a lot of money for a normal person who wears a normal job, £9.05.
00:04:33But at the end of the day, this world's going to, how would I say, in a nice way, shit.
00:04:40So everything's going up, house prices are going up, but I'll tell you, I'm not earning that much compared to
00:04:45half of these people around here.
00:04:52The day had been organised by Manchester-based Rebel Management Agency, owned by OnlyFans manager Jordan Smith.
00:05:03Obviously a girl's got a straight guy audience.
00:05:06Yeah.
00:05:06And guys have got gay guys.
00:05:09Wait, wait, one sec.
00:05:10So those guys over there, they predominantly have a gay audience buying their material?
00:05:15Oh, yeah.
00:05:17But 99.9%.
00:05:18No women buy it.
00:05:20Very small proportion.
00:05:23Jordan represented both men and women from across the UK.
00:05:30But the platform's dominated by women.
00:05:36Can you take me on a tour, please, of this content house?
00:05:39Yeah, of course.
00:05:39Well, straight off, we've obviously got the supercars.
00:05:42People are already making content in there.
00:05:47We've got different rooms that we use for different purposes.
00:05:50So this is the games room.
00:05:52Lots of lingerie around.
00:05:54Yeah, lingerie.
00:05:56So the advantage of this is we want to create as much social media content as possible.
00:06:01Each room is different and creates a different vibe.
00:06:03Also makes it look like it's a different place.
00:06:05So it doesn't look like it's being all done in one day.
00:06:11Three, two, one.
00:06:15Many of these creators had started working with Jordan.
00:06:20His job was to then grow their profiles and maximise their earnings.
00:06:26OnlyFans took a standard 20% commission from everything they sold.
00:06:31Jordan's agency would then take an additional 30%.
00:06:43How's the day going?
00:06:44It's actually going so much.
00:06:46Yeah, really good.
00:06:47I've actually got so much done.
00:06:48How long have you been in the OnlyFans game?
00:06:51Me, I've done OnlyFans for about four years.
00:06:54Started in lockdown.
00:06:55I did have a very normal job before this.
00:06:58Did you?
00:06:58What did you do?
00:06:59I worked in palliative care.
00:07:01Yeah.
00:07:01Yeah, yeah.
00:07:02Do you miss doing your palliative care side of it?
00:07:05I do, yeah.
00:07:07I do miss it.
00:07:08I could just never go back into it now, obviously, doing this.
00:07:10But, yeah.
00:07:12Do you think, I'm getting a sense there's a lot of people who've had quite normal jobs now.
00:07:16I think that's why a lot of people are the word OnlyFans and just assume.
00:07:22Slap.
00:07:23Yeah, pretty much.
00:07:24I mean, I didn't ever think it would be something that I'd be able to do full time because, one,
00:07:29there's not many lads that look like how I do and dress like how I do that do OnlyFans.
00:07:33I kept it discreet for a while and then I signed with this management.
00:07:36It's interesting learning about the management side of things because that is, you know,
00:07:41that's a third party coming in to be involved in your work.
00:07:44Like, do you feel like you have to have management, though?
00:07:47Because you guys are obviously very strong, independent people.
00:07:51You've got good ideas.
00:07:52Do you need them?
00:07:53If you asked me a few months ago, I'd have said I'd never have a management again.
00:07:57It was, we're going to book this for you.
00:07:59We're going to do this.
00:08:00Right, come down and we'll take photos of you.
00:08:02Do this, do this.
00:08:02And it was like, it just never happened.
00:08:05And then there were always an excuse.
00:08:06So, I felt so stuck because, obviously, I'd signed a 12-month contract.
00:08:11You signed it.
00:08:12So, you signed up to them for a year.
00:08:15And what cut were they taking from you, Liam?
00:08:18So, they initially were taking 50% of my earnings.
00:08:22They were taking 50% of your earnings?
00:08:25I kind of thought, because I wasn't earning a lot of money,
00:08:29at first I kind of thought, well, I'm not used to the money anyway,
00:08:31so any money is better than no money.
00:08:32But you're the one who's, like, putting yourself out there.
00:08:37Yeah.
00:08:37It's your body.
00:08:38It's quite exposing stuff.
00:08:40Yeah.
00:08:40When I'd actually put it into perspective,
00:08:43I'm putting, like, my full naked body all over the internet for pittance.
00:08:47I felt trapped.
00:08:48This is why I'm saying, know what you're getting sent in for,
00:08:51and do your research when it comes to management,
00:08:53and speak to people first before joining the management.
00:08:56And don't sign any contracts.
00:09:01Many of the creators I met were positive about the industry,
00:09:05and I could see how having a manager could boost your earnings.
00:09:09But Liam's story about being trapped in high-commission contracts
00:09:13with a previous agency
00:09:14made me wonder if there was more to these self-styled managers.
00:09:21My hometown Manchester had become one of the UK's main hubs
00:09:26for the OnlyFans community.
00:09:28In some of the high-rise skyscrapers,
00:09:31entire floors had been adapted into dedicated content rooms.
00:09:36I wanted to sit down with Jordan,
00:09:39as I was curious to understand more about how the business worked.
00:09:45Welcome to the Rebel Devils podcast.
00:09:47My name is Jordan Smith, and I'm your host.
00:09:50I'm here today with two of the UK's biggest slags.
00:09:56Is that you?
00:09:57Yes, that is me.
00:09:58You're describing sort of setting up the UK version of the Playboy Mansion.
00:10:02Yeah, so when that was made, that was my goal.
00:10:05I wanted to recreate the Playboy Mansion for the 21st century.
00:10:07What is this thing about managers?
00:10:09How did they then start becoming a thing?
00:10:11The thing is, once you start getting to a certain level of subscribers,
00:10:14it is physically impossible to manage it all on your own.
00:10:18Why?
00:10:18Because more people means more marketing.
00:10:21You know, it's like as your business gets bigger,
00:10:23just like any other business, you need a team to support you to execute it.
00:10:27Right?
00:10:27So if you do it on your own, you're limiting your own growth.
00:10:31How have you seen this OnlyFans manager industry change then?
00:10:35It sounds like a lot of people are being drawn to it.
00:10:37When I first started, there was a few.
00:10:39Now there's a lot, you know, and they're all over the world.
00:10:41I think OnlyFans became like a $1 billion industry around the time I started.
00:10:46So obviously, ka-chings were going everywhere.
00:10:49You know, because it's just like, you know, it's the gold rush.
00:10:52What do you think about this sort of like entrepreneurial thing
00:10:55that's being kind of sold a lot to younger men?
00:10:57So it's kind of, it's almost like the new dropshipping.
00:11:00Like a lot of people are selling it like this is the easiest way to make money.
00:11:03But it's real women and it's sexual content instead of items.
00:11:07Yeah.
00:11:08Like, do you have to sign up to any pledges?
00:11:10Do you have to do any kind of training to get into this side of a profession, I suppose?
00:11:14Not that I'm aware of, no.
00:11:17Because there's no regulation and stuff in the industry,
00:11:19any Tom, Dick or Harry could make an agency.
00:11:26For anybody who's new here and you don't know,
00:11:29this is my house and these are two of my cards.
00:11:33OnlyFans' managers were everywhere online.
00:11:35They were known across social media as OFM.
00:11:39I'm going to show you what a real day in the life of an OFM millionaire looks like.
00:11:44A quick search revealed hundreds of agencies.
00:11:48Some offered services that helped models manage their accounts and boost their income.
00:11:54They looked legitimate.
00:11:56Many promoted a message of quick profits.
00:12:00You can now move on to getting your next model and just rinse and repeat that cycle.
00:12:06They sold a version of success.
00:12:08Luxury living, expensive things.
00:12:14It seemed that the aim was to pull in as many models as possible.
00:12:19They taught each other how to scale up accounts and get rich quickly.
00:12:24Every part.
00:12:25I tried to speak to them, but despite being so vocal online,
00:12:31none except Jordan Smith wanted to meet me on camera.
00:12:36I wasn't sure why.
00:12:39So I turned to the creators.
00:12:42I got in contact with one of the biggest OnlyFans models in Manchester.
00:12:48She'd been working on the platform since it launched.
00:12:55She worked independently, but I heard she was getting hundreds of messages
00:13:00from these managers every week.
00:13:03I wanted to understand how they tried to pull people in.
00:13:10Oh my God.
00:13:11Very high, isn't it?
00:13:13It's not one for that guy to hide.
00:13:21There's loads.
00:13:22My God, it's literally non-stop.
00:13:24It is literally non-stop all the time.
00:13:26It's really annoying.
00:13:28I just find it dead interesting that you are getting actually more messages
00:13:32from managers than even fans.
00:13:34God, yeah, 100%.
00:13:35I've stopped even checking my message request now
00:13:38because the fan-to-manager ratio is ridiculous.
00:13:42A lot of these managements literally started
00:13:44as soon as they turned 18,
00:13:47which is scary because I think the same kind of thing is happening
00:13:49with the models as well now.
00:13:50Like they're just turning 18 and straight on OnlyFans.
00:13:53It's really sad.
00:13:55Scary.
00:13:56So this guy messaged,
00:13:58Hey, do you have 50 new paid subs daily?
00:14:00I won't lie to you.
00:14:01We help our clients reach this goal within 60 days.
00:14:05So I just asked him if he was free for a call.
00:14:09Oh, he's bringing me on here.
00:14:13How's it going?
00:14:14I'm good.
00:14:15How are you?
00:14:16Cool.
00:14:17So I'll explain how we work,
00:14:19how we can help you grow.
00:14:20Okay.
00:14:21So yeah,
00:14:22we've been doing this for three and a half years now.
00:14:25What makes us different is the system that we've built.
00:14:29Getting consistent,
00:14:30high-quality subscribers who actually buy.
00:14:33And the most important part,
00:14:35in my opinion,
00:14:35is the retention.
00:14:37Okay.
00:14:37So keeping the fans engaged is the key to success.
00:14:42How key are you currently making with your own ads?
00:14:46The page is not doing that great.
00:14:48It's doing about 5k more.
00:14:50Yeah.
00:14:51I've looked at your account,
00:14:52and you should be making way more than 5k per month
00:14:56with the current views that you're pulling in.
00:14:58If we don't have a very minimum,
00:15:00like within the next 60 days,
00:15:033x your take-home,
00:15:04then you wouldn't have to pay us.
00:15:06And I will send you $2,000 for wasting your time.
00:15:08Okay.
00:15:09What kind of like percentage do you take for that?
00:15:13So we take 50% of your net revenues.
00:15:17Okay.
00:15:18All right.
00:15:18Well, I'll have a think about it,
00:15:20and I'll have to get back to you about it,
00:15:22if that's all right.
00:15:23Awesome.
00:15:24All right.
00:15:24Thanks for your time to hear.
00:15:25I'll speak to you soon.
00:15:25No worries.
00:15:26Thank you too.
00:15:26Speak to you soon.
00:15:27Bye.
00:15:29I can grow you three times your income.
00:15:33Yeah.
00:15:33So you said you're on 5k.
00:15:35Yeah.
00:15:35He can grow that to at least 15.
00:15:37Yeah.
00:15:38Is that believable?
00:15:40I mean, yeah,
00:15:40because it's not like that kind of money's not realistic.
00:15:43Say if I was making,
00:15:45I don't know,
00:15:45maybe 3k a month,
00:15:47realistically,
00:15:48all they need to earn me
00:15:49is an extra 4,000
00:15:52for me to still be making more
00:15:54than what I was making without them.
00:15:56So that would be how I would justify it
00:15:58to giving them that much.
00:15:59But nine times out of ten,
00:16:01they just take their half cut
00:16:03and then just bring your page into the ground.
00:16:06You strike me as though
00:16:07you're a bit savvy to this stuff now.
00:16:10Oh, yeah.
00:16:10A hundred percent.
00:16:11When I first started,
00:16:13it was a lot more low maintenance,
00:16:14but it's very, very different now.
00:16:17I think that's why it's got so oversaturated
00:16:20because there's so many in messaging
00:16:22all the time
00:16:23with all these crazy results.
00:16:24It's so easy to just click on the first one
00:16:26and be like,
00:16:27right, that one looks good.
00:16:28And that's where these managements
00:16:30can be very predatory.
00:16:37The more I was hearing about managers,
00:16:39the more questions I had.
00:16:47So we put a team together
00:16:49and started looking into this growing hidden economy.
00:16:53We put a call out to speak to as many creators as possible
00:16:57who'd had experience of working with managers.
00:17:01If she makes less than $10,000,
00:17:04you should take 50% to 65% of her earnings
00:17:10because at the same time,
00:17:11you have potential to make her triple her money.
00:17:13We found some how-to guides online.
00:17:17Send her a contract to sign
00:17:19based on what you have agreed.
00:17:21You have your first model.
00:17:23Congratulations.
00:17:24The promise was clear.
00:17:27This was an opportunity.
00:17:29The chance to make some serious money.
00:17:36OnlyFans models had started getting in touch
00:17:39following our call out.
00:17:42Most were too nervous to talk on camera.
00:17:46Some, however, agreed to meet me.
00:18:08I saw it as I didn't do anything explicit.
00:18:12I put lingerie photos on OnlyFans
00:18:16and get paid for it.
00:18:18You know, so, and that's how I started.
00:18:22I did exactly what I was comfortable with.
00:18:25So when you made the first jump into it,
00:18:28was money the main driver, would you say?
00:18:30Yeah.
00:18:31Yeah.
00:18:32Yeah, I've been four kids.
00:18:34Like, you want to earn as much as you can.
00:18:36So you're on OnlyFans.
00:18:37Can you remember when you started to hear
00:18:39about the OnlyFans manager's side of stuff?
00:18:43Yeah, I mean, you get so many messages
00:18:46for different managers.
00:18:48Like, oh, I can help you gain this much income,
00:18:52but it were more, the way they worded it,
00:18:54and it was more, you know,
00:18:55I can make you 10 grand in a week
00:18:59or whatever it were.
00:19:00Did they make you sign any kind of contracts?
00:19:03Did they have agreements or anything like that?
00:19:06So I was sent this contract
00:19:07when I first signed up with them.
00:19:11Yeah, I'm really intrigued to know
00:19:13the types of things that they say
00:19:14they're going to offer you.
00:19:17The model will not discuss their commission rates
00:19:19and or payment terms with anyone
00:19:21excluding the agency.
00:19:22How much were they taking?
00:19:24They do take 50% of your money.
00:19:26So not only have you got OnlyFans taking 20%,
00:19:29you've then got to split that other half
00:19:32with your management.
00:19:34You have regular check-ins with them
00:19:36about account growth.
00:19:38They'll advise you on the types of content
00:19:40to be posting and be responding constantly
00:19:42to customers to give them whatever they want.
00:19:45Yeah.
00:19:45It's talking about being in constant communication
00:19:47with each other.
00:19:49You have to get back within 24 hours.
00:19:52And it also says about
00:19:56if a customer wants custom content,
00:19:59so they're asking specifically for something from you,
00:20:01you have to fulfil that request within 24 hours.
00:20:04And that's where they've told me
00:20:05to do the explicit content.
00:20:07I told him, like, you know,
00:20:09would you be all right taking me
00:20:11if I didn't do any sort of explicit?
00:20:13But they were like, that's fine.
00:20:14That's fine, Leanne.
00:20:15Like, we're hoping to do that,
00:20:16whatever you're comfortable with.
00:20:18Then I'd get, like, a message.
00:20:20Then I'd get another message.
00:20:22I just kept saying no, no.
00:20:24And then they sent me a message.
00:20:26And I just went, right, I tell you what,
00:20:28I'm going to do a video
00:20:29and I want an agreement
00:20:30that this does not get sold
00:20:32for any less than $250.
00:20:34And they were like, yeah, that's fine, that's fine.
00:20:37Do you mind me asking what you did?
00:20:39Like a full explicit video.
00:20:43Like masturbation type thing?
00:20:44Mm-hmm.
00:20:46So I did a video.
00:20:48I felt physically sick.
00:20:49I just threw it to him.
00:20:50I said, I hadn't even watched it.
00:20:52I'm like, just sell that
00:20:53and do not sell it for any less than $250.
00:20:56And it would just kind of sell it to shut him up.
00:21:01And I remember waking up,
00:21:02I think it were two days after,
00:21:04and seeing two pings on my phone.
00:21:06And I thought, $36?
00:21:08So I went on
00:21:09and the two people had bought it for $36.
00:21:13And I honestly, I just, I cried.
00:21:16I messaged him.
00:21:17I said, like, you've sold it for $36.
00:21:19The agreement wore $250.
00:21:22And they just went,
00:21:24we don't think it's going to be suitable working with you.
00:21:26Like, we don't think we're really going to benefit off you.
00:21:29What did that do to you?
00:21:31You know, what does that do to your thoughts
00:21:32when you've pushed yourself in a way
00:21:35you haven't wanted to,
00:21:36done something with your body
00:21:38you didn't feel comfortable to do,
00:21:40and then it sold for just, like, 30 quid?
00:21:48Honestly, it just made me feel so disgusting,
00:21:51so degraded, and...
00:21:58Leanne later shared her UK agency contract with me.
00:22:01Her agency demanded a significant amount of control.
00:22:08Give us login access to your account
00:22:10and allow us to change the email address
00:22:12to allow us to log in and respond to fans.
00:22:17And for every piece of visual content Leanne produced,
00:22:21the agency took a 50% cut.
00:22:25We found high commission rates
00:22:27were almost standard across OFM operations.
00:22:31It was part of their playbook.
00:22:34Don't go below 50-50 revenue split.
00:22:37If your model makes $2,000 a month,
00:22:39that's $1,000 for her and $1,000 for you.
00:22:42Other models shared their contracts with us
00:22:45and they showed even higher cuts,
00:22:48sometimes up to 70%.
00:22:52Some agencies even used the OnlyFans logo
00:22:56to advertise their services.
00:22:59This raised a simple question.
00:23:01Did OnlyFans know about these managers at all?
00:23:05Because on their website, it stated,
00:23:09The fan acknowledges that third parties
00:23:12may assist creators in operating their accounts,
00:23:15and in creator interactions.
00:23:20Despite not wanting to appear on camera,
00:23:24some creators sent us voice notes
00:23:26describing their experiences with third-party managers.
00:23:31Management would lie about earnings
00:23:33and take more money than they should.
00:23:35He said he was taking 30%,
00:23:37but he was actually taking 70%.
00:23:40He changed my bank details
00:23:41so all the money was going to him.
00:23:45I could never log into my OnlyFans account
00:23:47as they changed my passwords.
00:23:48I also didn't get a penny for any of the work I did.
00:23:52He pressured me into doing things I didn't want to do.
00:23:57One creator sent me a voice note
00:23:59describing her experience
00:24:01after she challenged her manager.
00:24:04I just wanted to drop the percentage
00:24:06as I was paying around 40% at the time.
00:24:09And I was thinking,
00:24:10why am I paying this man so much money?
00:24:12I said, hey, I'm not happy with my percentage.
00:24:14He told me that if you want to drop the percentage,
00:24:17I have to pay him £10,000
00:24:18because of how much time and effort he's put into me.
00:24:21I said, no, I'm not going to pay you £10,000.
00:24:24I'm just going to leave.
00:24:26And that's when it got into,
00:24:27you're going to get what's coming to you.
00:24:29Just you wait.
00:24:51We consulted lawyers and human rights experts
00:24:54to examine the creator management practices
00:24:57we'd uncovered.
00:24:59I've sent you over some of these contracts
00:25:01that creators have shown me.
00:25:03What's your thoughts on some of them?
00:25:05This isn't really a fair contract situation at all.
00:25:09It's more like deception.
00:25:11When the creators don't even know
00:25:14what their true earnings are,
00:25:17being locked out of their accounts
00:25:19so that they didn't have control,
00:25:21being required to create scenes
00:25:23within 24 hours,
00:25:25it creates an awful lot of pressure.
00:25:27They're taking advantage of the content creators,
00:25:30which is almost placing
00:25:31these content creators
00:25:33in servitude to the agents and agencies,
00:25:37trapped in a contract which is unfair.
00:25:40The contracts are concerning
00:25:42and they seem to be the first step
00:25:45in the road to exploiting creators.
00:25:52Behind closed doors,
00:25:55a further set of tactics
00:25:56by OnlyFans managers started to emerge.
00:26:00Working with the team,
00:26:01we embedded ourselves
00:26:03in one of the largest private Telegram group chats,
00:26:07OFM Empire.
00:26:08With more than 24,000 members,
00:26:12it was here,
00:26:13when they thought no-one was watching,
00:26:16that they revealed their tips
00:26:18on how to control creators.
00:26:40The pattern seems to be unfair payment,
00:26:42unfair commission splits,
00:26:44or coercion control,
00:26:46locking models out of their accounts,
00:26:48locking them out of their banking apps.
00:26:49So the total number of messages
00:26:52in this group chat
00:26:54is somewhere around 300,000.
00:26:57This query that I ran
00:26:59was to see if I could find messages
00:27:01about managers changing passwords
00:27:05to models' accounts.
00:27:06In a lot of cases,
00:27:07they're doing that
00:27:08because they don't want the models
00:27:09to see how much money
00:27:10the account is making
00:27:11so that they can take
00:27:13an unfair cut of the profits.
00:27:16Did they kind of like egg each other on?
00:27:18It seems like the majority of people
00:27:22are pretty in favour
00:27:23of using those methods.
00:27:49One creator we spoke to
00:27:51revealed another side to the story.
00:28:01She agreed to share her experience
00:28:04with me for the first time.
00:28:08Rebecca had started working
00:28:10on OnlyFans last year.
00:28:19I was introduced to one agency
00:28:24who another friend of mine was with.
00:28:28They were lovely at the beginning.
00:28:30Oh, you're so beautiful.
00:28:31We've never seen a girl like you before.
00:28:33You've got potential to make so much money.
00:28:37They'd first offered me 30-70% of the cut.
00:28:43So they were getting 30%.
00:28:44I'd get 70%.
00:28:46And then they changed their mind
00:28:47that it was 50-50.
00:28:50And then within a few weeks,
00:28:53whatever I was sending in,
00:28:54they would start saying
00:28:56that I look like shit
00:28:57in those exact words.
00:29:00And then, you know,
00:29:01they just start being quite abusive,
00:29:03quite controlling.
00:29:05If I wanted to go for a night out with the girls,
00:29:07I wasn't allowed to go for a night out with the girls
00:29:08because if I'd been drinking,
00:29:10I wouldn't be able to put in the work the next day.
00:29:12If I wanted to go away for a weekend,
00:29:15couldn't do that
00:29:15because they didn't like me doing that.
00:29:17Literally controlling your life
00:29:19and telling you where and what you can and can't do.
00:29:21Yeah.
00:29:22They'd even tried talking me into escorting and...
00:29:27As in, they tried to get you to do in-real-life sex work?
00:29:30Yes.
00:29:30And I'd said no
00:29:32and then they tried telling me
00:29:35how much good money I would make from it.
00:29:37And then they had blocked one of the other girls
00:29:41out of their account
00:29:43and she'd phoned me up crying.
00:29:45She was in hysterics.
00:29:46She was like, I don't know what to do.
00:29:47I've got so much money in there.
00:29:49And they blocked me out.
00:29:50So I'd gone straight on to my accounts,
00:29:53changed my passwords, blocked them out.
00:29:56How did that go down with them?
00:29:58From me doing that,
00:29:59it just escalated massively.
00:30:03There was a lot of verbal abuse, phone calls.
00:30:08I've actually got messages.
00:30:10Yeah, he's sending me my own address,
00:30:13telling me how he's going to swing me and my daughter around
00:30:16by her hair,
00:30:17telling me that they're going to have me and my daughter.
00:30:21He's messaging you.
00:30:23We'll have you and your daughter wrote off.
00:30:25Yeah.
00:30:27Cheeky, couldn't watch your lips before things get serious.
00:30:32Wonder why you're a single mother.
00:30:35Yeah.
00:30:38See you soon, whore.
00:30:41We have got everything I need.
00:30:46So after all these messages,
00:30:48it had gone quiet for a couple of days.
00:30:50And then I heard a massive smash.
00:30:54And I was like, well, what the hell was that?
00:30:56And it seemed like my window had been smashed in.
00:30:59So I contacted the police straight away.
00:31:02Police came out.
00:31:04They took the brick for forensics.
00:31:07They went around and asked for CCTV.
00:31:09But there was no CCTV here.
00:31:12And did you tell the police that you thought it was these OnlyFans guys?
00:31:16No.
00:31:17I was too scared to say anything,
00:31:19to say any names.
00:31:20And within two weeks,
00:31:23I then had two masked men come to my house and attack me.
00:31:31I heard somebody come through the door and they just strangled me.
00:31:34I didn't know what was happening.
00:31:36And they were on top of me, strangling me.
00:31:38And I just tried getting my phone to ring somebody
00:31:40because I thought, this is it.
00:31:43And then they just stopped.
00:31:44After they just proved their point, they just stopped and left.
00:31:48Yeah, so that was my neck.
00:31:50And then there were just all my bruises all over me.
00:31:53Look at the amount of, like, this is...
00:31:55You're literally covered in bruises all over your legs.
00:32:00I think that was from throwing me up and down the stairs.
00:32:05The strangling was probably the worst.
00:32:09Because your little girl must have been going through your mind as well.
00:32:11Yeah.
00:32:13That's another reason why I think it was the agency,
00:32:16because they knew when my daughter wasn't here and when she was here.
00:32:20And on the both times, when my windows got put in
00:32:24and when they attacked me,
00:32:25she rolled in here because it was on the night, so I don't have her.
00:32:28So it was like they kind of planned it.
00:32:31Do you know what these guys are doing now, then?
00:32:33Are they still operating?
00:32:35I think so, yeah.
00:32:36From what I know, they are managing another girl's account still.
00:32:41Did you reach out to OnlyFans?
00:32:43To be honest, I didn't think I could.
00:32:45I thought, because I'd taken the agency on off my own back,
00:32:49I did everything myself,
00:32:50I didn't know that something like that could have been an option with OnlyFans.
00:32:59We know that the majority of adults look at adult content online.
00:33:03Wouldn't it be nice if that content was consensual, ethical,
00:33:07directly monetized, monitored, and was made in a safe way,
00:33:11and so that then as a fan, you can be like,
00:33:13I'm making an ethical choice in choosing to engage with adult content in this way.
00:33:19Rebecca joined OnlyFans believing it would protect creator independence and safety.
00:33:25Instead, hers became the most horrifying story I'd heard.
00:33:30The telegram messages we'd seen in OFM Empire weren't just talk.
00:33:36Craters were facing violence and intimidation.
00:33:40Extreme advice was being carried out in real life.
00:34:06When I listen to creators, it feels like they're almost trapped in this web.
00:34:10Everything from harassment to serious offences of violence,
00:34:14particularly when creators attempt to leave.
00:34:16How serious do you think that that is?
00:34:19What struck me the most is how systematic it is.
00:34:23This isn't isolated bad behavior by just a few managers.
00:34:27There's coercion, deception, and potentially human trafficking.
00:34:32Managers are conducting potentially criminal behavior on a wide scale.
00:34:38When it comes to modern slavery and exploitation,
00:34:42one of the indicators of risk is third-party control.
00:34:46When there's third-party control,
00:34:48we don't actually know who is controlling the account.
00:34:52We don't know what pressure is going on offline,
00:34:55what they're being forced to do.
00:34:56We've seen physical violence against people.
00:34:59We've seen harassment.
00:35:00There were threats.
00:35:02There was coercion.
00:35:03Taking an individual,
00:35:04turning them into a commodity for the sole purposes of making money,
00:35:08that as a whole,
00:35:09and we would say that is a pattern of trafficking,
00:35:13of modern slavery.
00:35:17Modern slavery rarely presents as a single act.
00:35:21It's often revealed through a pattern of abuse,
00:35:24deception, coercion, threat, financial control, and exploitation.
00:35:30When these factors are seen together,
00:35:33they may indicate forced labor, servitude, or human trafficking,
00:35:38and might constitute serious criminal offenses under English law.
00:36:02We operate on the basis of a very lean business model,
00:36:05and we do it deliberately.
00:36:06Every hire is very important and very carefully considered.
00:36:09To many observers,
00:36:12OnlyFans appeared to be a British tech success story.
00:36:16It's actually that we've paid out $25 billion to creators since 2016.
00:36:21So there's not very many tech companies
00:36:23that can talk about creating wealth for others,
00:36:26rather than just profiteering.
00:36:29It had become a highly profitable phenomenon.
00:36:33The platform was now making around a billion pounds annually.
00:36:39But while the top creators can make thousands a month,
00:36:42on average, most people reportedly earn nearer to £1,300 a year.
00:36:56I was back in Manchester to meet Gia,
00:36:59along with another top OnlyFans creator, Lily Phillips.
00:37:03My name is Jordan Smith, and I'm your host.
00:37:06And today, with the very famous Lily Phillips.
00:37:09The very famous, I like that.
00:37:11How did you start Korn?
00:37:13So I wanted to hear from those at the very top of the platform
00:37:16to understand how they protect themselves against rogue managers.
00:37:25Hello.
00:37:26How are you?
00:37:27Nice to see you.
00:37:28Nice to see you again.
00:37:30Have you been? It's been a while.
00:37:31I know it has.
00:37:32How are you?
00:37:33I'm good.
00:37:34The weather looks good.
00:37:36Hi.
00:37:36Nice to meet you.
00:37:37How are you?
00:37:38Nice to meet you.
00:37:39I'm Amber.
00:37:40Oh, thanks so much for coming.
00:37:41I've been very, very interested to meet you.
00:37:45So much of OnlyFans is about independence.
00:37:49It's about autonomy.
00:37:51It's about you having control over your own life and your income.
00:37:55But I just feel like from so much of what I've heard
00:37:57that are these kind of sharks and predators who want a bit of that.
00:38:03I have obviously heard the horror stories of girls signing up with agencies
00:38:07and feeling like they have to kind of always push out more and more and more content
00:38:13and they're being pressurised to do more extreme stuff
00:38:16or really just lose that independence.
00:38:20People realise how much money you can make from OnlyFans.
00:38:25So, you know, everyone wants a piece of the pie, especially men.
00:38:28Like, not to blame the men.
00:38:30But, you know, I do believe that they can be a little bit jealous
00:38:34of how we have gained independence and can earn so much money on sex work
00:38:40and they want their little piece.
00:38:42And I feel like the explosion of OnlyFans has kind of invited this.
00:38:46Like, do you think it's created this sort of ecosystem around it in some ways?
00:38:50I think in the adult industry there was always exploitation,
00:38:53like you mentioned earlier, in terms of, like, pimps
00:38:56or whatever you want to call them, the middleman.
00:38:58So I don't think it's a new concept.
00:39:01I just think it's a newer platform.
00:39:03You know, you've been on the platform five, six years?
00:39:06I was 10 years.
00:39:07I was like, in 2016 when it first came.
00:39:10I know.
00:39:11Well, and I do still love OnlyFans.
00:39:13It's definitely a lot more demanding now,
00:39:14but, like, when the platform first started,
00:39:16like, the agencies were never a thing.
00:39:20I don't think even OnlyFans expected it to blow up the way it has.
00:39:24But there's no kind of regulations to it
00:39:26and I think that that is the dangerous space
00:39:28where vulnerable people can be taken advantage of.
00:39:32Yeah, and I do think, like, if there was some more regulations
00:39:35or, like, control around agencies,
00:39:39then, like, the concept is actually really good.
00:39:41It's just that there's too many unqualified people
00:39:44who are just thinking, like, okay, I'm going to do this
00:39:47and it's hard because there's no regulations.
00:39:49Like, the models don't know who to trust.
00:39:52It's become this huge marketplace now.
00:39:55It is translating into real-world problems happening,
00:39:58like, people being threatened when they try to leave,
00:40:00whether that's, I'm going to take you to court
00:40:02and, you know, frightening people from leaving
00:40:04to physically threatening people.
00:40:07Yeah.
00:40:08Which is, yeah, it's not just an online platform thing.
00:40:11It kind of has translated into the real world in a lot of ways.
00:40:15I think it's definitely something I've always thought about
00:40:18is, like, how can we help girls in the industry
00:40:20get more guidance and more regulations on it?
00:40:24But it's like, I don't really know where to then go with that idea.
00:40:27That's the awkward part.
00:40:28It's like, you know, especially as sex workers,
00:40:32like, people don't really take what we say seriously
00:40:34and, you know, they don't really acknowledge us
00:40:38as real humans sometimes.
00:40:40And so it's hard to get that trust of, like, you know,
00:40:43we need help and we need regulations in our industry.
00:40:47But people don't really care
00:40:49because they don't see us as human.
00:40:55Only fans have always said that safety
00:40:58was at the centre of their mission.
00:41:01Something that was essential to how their business operated.
00:41:06In their policy, it stated,
00:41:09We are committed to building the safest digital media platform
00:41:13in the world.
00:41:14We're dedicated to delivering robust safeguards
00:41:17that prioritise the safety, privacy and well-being
00:41:20of the whole OnlyFans community.
00:41:23Our subscription model makes it difficult
00:41:25for people to engage in modern slavery
00:41:28and human trafficking.
00:41:30But over time,
00:41:32something else appeared to have taken shape
00:41:34beneath that original vision.
00:41:36What we had uncovered suggested
00:41:39that management practices
00:41:40had fundamentally changed the amount of control
00:41:43some creators had over their content.
00:41:45You've come from being a partner of a law firm,
00:41:48joining, then rising the ranks very quickly
00:41:50to become CEO.
00:41:51How has that cyber mindset,
00:41:52how has that safeguard mindset
00:41:54infiltrated the very underlying technology
00:41:56of the business?
00:41:57I mean, ultimately,
00:41:59without the safety technology
00:42:00that we have in place,
00:42:01OnlyFans can't exist, right?
00:42:02So, as part of the content creator onboarding process,
00:42:07individuals have to go through
00:42:08a facial recognition piece
00:42:10whereby we match their age and identity
00:42:12to their face and a life-likeness of themselves.
00:42:15We also check their social media accounts.
00:42:17We check that the bank account information
00:42:18is in their legal name.
00:42:22We spoke to multiple creators
00:42:25who said managers had gained access
00:42:28to their earnings.
00:42:30We also found messages
00:42:32in the OFM Empire Telegram group,
00:42:37where tactics were shared
00:42:39about how to get control of these payments.
00:42:43While OnlyFans has a two-factor authentication
00:42:46around account changes,
00:42:48including bank details,
00:42:50we wanted to test their payment system.
00:42:53So, I opened my own OnlyFans account
00:42:55because I wanted to check
00:42:57how strict OnlyFans verification systems are.
00:43:00So, I opened my account,
00:43:02I uploaded a photo,
00:43:03and I registered a male colleague's
00:43:07banking details into it
00:43:08alongside my own name.
00:43:10So, you were able to use
00:43:11his account details
00:43:12on your OnlyFans platform?
00:43:14Yeah, exactly.
00:43:16And then I asked two colleagues
00:43:17to subscribe,
00:43:19and after they paid,
00:43:20the money went straight to his account.
00:43:22So, OnlyFans paid out to him
00:43:24instead of you?
00:43:24Yeah.
00:43:26You would expect
00:43:27when they're dealing
00:43:28with such intimate content
00:43:29that their security measures
00:43:31around money
00:43:32and identifying who you are
00:43:33would be watertight?
00:43:35Because I think
00:43:36what we've just seen there,
00:43:37that the money can be redirected
00:43:39to somebody else
00:43:40is really quite shocking
00:43:42and raises some serious questions.
00:43:44People go to OnlyFans
00:43:45because they feel like
00:43:47it's a safe platform,
00:43:48they feel like it empowers them,
00:43:50and OnlyFans does a great job
00:43:52in verifying the account holder.
00:43:54So, it's quite strange
00:43:55that they aren't also verifying
00:43:57where the money goes.
00:44:06OnlyFans as a platform
00:44:08spanned the world.
00:44:10My investigation
00:44:12had started with creators
00:44:13in the UK,
00:44:15but there were problems
00:44:16in other countries.
00:44:19And it turned out
00:44:20we weren't the only ones
00:44:22asking questions.
00:44:24Two data researchers
00:44:26in the Netherlands
00:44:27had been following the space
00:44:28since OFM emerged.
00:44:31They'd been watching OFM
00:44:33across multiple
00:44:34social media platforms,
00:44:36tracking the evolution
00:44:37of this private
00:44:38digital ecosystem.
00:44:41I went to meet them
00:44:42to see what they'd found.
00:44:43Hi.
00:44:44Good to meet you.
00:44:45Hi.
00:44:45Lovely to meet you.
00:44:46Have a seat.
00:44:49We are an investigation agency.
00:44:52We try to help organisations,
00:44:55specifically if it's
00:44:57about fighting crime.
00:44:58So, you guys here
00:45:00investigate crime
00:45:01in the online space.
00:45:02I'm just interested
00:45:04in why,
00:45:06from the early stage,
00:45:07OnlyFans hit your radar.
00:45:09We've worked in
00:45:10the human trafficking field
00:45:11before,
00:45:12and the second we dove
00:45:14into these chats,
00:45:15we saw evidence
00:45:17of threats,
00:45:19we saw evidence
00:45:20of hacking
00:45:22and of trafficking.
00:45:25So, talk me through
00:45:26the patterns
00:45:26that you've started
00:45:27to see in some
00:45:28of these groups
00:45:28across these past few years
00:45:30when you've been
00:45:30looking into OnlyFans.
00:45:32We found lots
00:45:33and lots of data,
00:45:34lots of conversation
00:45:35where things
00:45:36were being discussed,
00:45:37even more than
00:45:38the dark web
00:45:40or anything like that.
00:45:41We've seen examples
00:45:42that they actually
00:45:43trade their models
00:45:45to one another.
00:45:47Yeah, we saw some
00:45:48models that were
00:45:49being sold
00:45:50for like $2,000
00:45:51for example.
00:45:52And when you buy
00:45:54a model,
00:45:54you get a model
00:45:54purchase sheet.
00:45:55So, they are trading
00:45:57real women like this
00:45:58in a casual
00:45:59telegram chat.
00:46:00Yeah, they're
00:46:01selling them
00:46:02to each other.
00:46:03So, when you buy
00:46:04the model,
00:46:05you basically buy
00:46:06a contract
00:46:06with the model
00:46:07and you buy
00:46:08pictures
00:46:09and content
00:46:11of that model.
00:46:13so, you basically
00:46:14buy a lot
00:46:14of material
00:46:15and one of the
00:46:16things mentioned
00:46:17in that is that
00:46:18you're not supposed
00:46:19to tell the model
00:46:19that she's been sold
00:46:20or that you bought her.
00:46:23Could just literally
00:46:24sound like you were
00:46:24buying a TV.
00:46:26Yeah.
00:46:27Exactly.
00:46:27Yeah, it's like that.
00:46:29It's a product.
00:46:30Yeah.
00:46:30So, that's really
00:46:32human trafficking.
00:46:34Yeah.
00:46:35I was wondering
00:46:36about the kinds
00:46:37of men
00:46:38that you're seeing
00:46:38in some of these groups.
00:46:39So, I'm from Manchester
00:46:40in the UK.
00:46:41It's kind of being called
00:46:43a bit of a hotspot
00:46:44for OnlyFans now.
00:46:45Are there a lot
00:46:46of British guys
00:46:47in these groups?
00:46:48Some people were
00:46:49saying that
00:46:51they were based
00:46:51in the UK.
00:46:52Some people were saying
00:46:52that they're based
00:46:53in London.
00:46:54For example,
00:46:55we saw some cities
00:46:56being mentioned.
00:46:57So, Liverpool,
00:46:58Manchester,
00:46:58these were mentioned
00:46:59as well.
00:47:01And as for
00:47:02other countries,
00:47:03the most commonly
00:47:04used ones
00:47:05were the US
00:47:06and then there
00:47:08were some in Brazil
00:47:09and then, yeah,
00:47:10Europe.
00:47:13It's easy
00:47:14to look at these
00:47:15men,
00:47:17these young boys
00:47:18and think
00:47:20they are just
00:47:21ridiculous.
00:47:22It's important
00:47:23that we don't
00:47:23underestimate them.
00:47:26Are OnlyFans
00:47:26aware of these things
00:47:27that you've found
00:47:28about managers
00:47:29in these groups?
00:47:30It's hard to mention
00:47:31that they're not
00:47:32aware of it.
00:47:33just considering
00:47:33the number
00:47:35of models
00:47:35who spoke out
00:47:36about it
00:47:36and the number
00:47:38of reports
00:47:39that have been
00:47:39published about it
00:47:40as well.
00:47:42However,
00:47:43we've seen
00:47:43no attempt
00:47:44so far
00:47:44to actually
00:47:46ban
00:47:47management
00:47:48or to ban
00:47:49these contracts
00:47:50or to regulate
00:47:51it in a different
00:47:52way.
00:48:00And he did
00:48:01to know
00:48:01if there were
00:48:02any other
00:48:03reports
00:48:03about
00:48:03OFM.
00:48:04What did
00:48:05OnlyFans
00:48:06know
00:48:07about this
00:48:07exploitative
00:48:08web?
00:48:09And how
00:48:10had this
00:48:10half-hidden
00:48:11system
00:48:12been allowed
00:48:13to spread
00:48:13across the
00:48:14world?
00:48:14The first
00:48:16report of
00:48:16exploitative
00:48:17practices
00:48:18by management
00:48:19agencies
00:48:19surfaced in
00:48:20Los Angeles
00:48:21in 2021.
00:48:23Six creators
00:48:24told the
00:48:25publication
00:48:25BuzzFeed News
00:48:26that they had
00:48:27struggled to get
00:48:28out of contracts
00:48:29with LA-based
00:48:30agencies.
00:48:32Rolling Stone
00:48:33ran a piece
00:48:34in 2022
00:48:35that reported
00:48:36managers were
00:48:37taking 60-70%
00:48:39of a creator's
00:48:39income
00:48:40and rerouted
00:48:41payments to
00:48:42the agency's
00:48:42bank account.
00:48:44OnlyFans
00:48:45had responded
00:48:45to this report
00:48:46saying
00:48:46the platform
00:48:48has no
00:48:48involvement
00:48:49in any
00:48:49agreement
00:48:50made between
00:48:50creators
00:48:51and third-party
00:48:52managers
00:48:52off the
00:48:53platform.
00:48:55In May
00:48:562022,
00:48:57the New York
00:48:58Times ran a
00:48:59story on
00:48:59managers
00:49:00controlling
00:49:00creators'
00:49:01accounts,
00:49:02to which
00:49:02OnlyFans
00:49:03responded
00:49:03with,
00:49:04a creator
00:49:05might employ
00:49:06an agent,
00:49:07agency,
00:49:08management
00:49:08company,
00:49:09or other
00:49:09third-party
00:49:10to help
00:49:10run her
00:49:11account.
00:49:12Nothing
00:49:12in the
00:49:13rules
00:49:13explicitly
00:49:14requires
00:49:14that a
00:49:15creator
00:49:15disclose
00:49:16such an
00:49:17arrangement.
00:49:18In July
00:49:192024,
00:49:20another
00:49:20article in
00:49:21Le Monde
00:49:22investigated
00:49:22OFM and
00:49:23argued that
00:49:24they operated
00:49:25like a
00:49:26digital
00:49:26pimping
00:49:27network.
00:49:28OnlyFans
00:49:29declined to
00:49:30comment.
00:49:31In 2023,
00:49:33Romanian prosecutors
00:49:34investigating
00:49:35Andrew Tate
00:49:36alleged women
00:49:37were pressured
00:49:38into creating
00:49:39OnlyFans content
00:49:40under threats
00:49:41such as
00:49:42break your
00:49:43teeth and
00:49:44you'll end up
00:49:45in the morgue.
00:49:46They denied
00:49:47the charges.
00:49:48Reuters
00:49:49investigated
00:49:50OnlyFans
00:49:50managers in
00:49:51the US,
00:49:52publishing their
00:49:53findings in
00:49:54November
00:49:542024,
00:49:56citing cases
00:49:57where they
00:49:58claimed
00:49:58trafficking,
00:49:59coercion
00:50:00and exploitation
00:50:01had taken
00:50:02place.
00:50:03OnlyFans
00:50:04did not
00:50:05comment.
00:50:05All of
00:50:06this showed
00:50:07that OnlyFans
00:50:08as a company
00:50:09knew about
00:50:09the potential
00:50:10risk of harm
00:50:11to creators
00:50:12for at least
00:50:13four years.
00:50:14But it
00:50:15wasn't clear
00:50:15what specific
00:50:17steps had been
00:50:17taken to
00:50:18address it.
00:50:21Where does
00:50:22the responsibility
00:50:23of a platform
00:50:24end?
00:50:26And if your
00:50:27business model
00:50:27is about
00:50:28I'm aware
00:50:29of this
00:50:29wider ecosystem
00:50:31but I'm
00:50:32saying I only
00:50:33have responsibility
00:50:33for the
00:50:34technology and
00:50:35for the
00:50:35platform
00:50:36but my
00:50:37profits are
00:50:38driven by
00:50:39this ecosystem
00:50:40then I think
00:50:41it's one for
00:50:41the lawyers
00:50:42to say
00:50:42actually is it
00:50:43one single
00:50:44ecosystem?
00:50:45And then you
00:50:46have to say
00:50:47okay so what
00:50:47is the defense?
00:50:48I think
00:50:49given the
00:50:50evidence I've
00:50:51seen and
00:50:52the law
00:50:53which is
00:50:54developing in
00:50:54this area
00:50:55it's only a
00:50:56matter of
00:50:57time before
00:50:58OnlyFans
00:50:59faces claims
00:51:00of negligence
00:51:02from creators
00:51:04who have
00:51:05suffered harm
00:51:06because of
00:51:07the systems
00:51:08and the
00:51:08ecosystems
00:51:09which OnlyFans
00:51:10has created.
00:51:12I'm hearing
00:51:13that you think
00:51:14OnlyFans should
00:51:15have checks in
00:51:16place when it
00:51:16comes to
00:51:17creators using
00:51:17management
00:51:18why aren't
00:51:19they doing
00:51:19it then?
00:51:21Look these
00:51:21are businesses
00:51:22and first and
00:51:23foremost they're
00:51:23about making
00:51:24money and
00:51:25so they will
00:51:26design things
00:51:27that will
00:51:28maximise the
00:51:29profit on
00:51:30that and
00:51:31this is where
00:51:32you need
00:51:32regulation and
00:51:33this is where
00:51:33you need
00:51:33laws.
00:51:34That defense
00:51:35of well we're
00:51:35only a platform
00:51:36we didn't really
00:51:37know that this
00:51:37was being used
00:51:38for this is
00:51:40becoming a
00:51:40sort of legally
00:51:41untenable position
00:51:42to hold.
00:51:45OnlyFans is
00:51:46estimated to
00:51:47be worth
00:51:48around 2.3
00:51:49billion pounds.
00:51:51They say
00:51:52they pay more
00:51:53in UK tax
00:51:54than the
00:51:55entire British
00:51:56fishing industry.
00:51:58The more I
00:51:59learned the
00:52:00more I found
00:52:01myself wondering
00:52:01how exploitation
00:52:03could flourish
00:52:04alongside one
00:52:05of Britain's
00:52:06most lucrative
00:52:07tech companies.
00:52:10OnlyFans is a
00:52:11social media
00:52:11platform just
00:52:12like those
00:52:13you use
00:52:13already.
00:52:14OnlyFans
00:52:15launched quietly
00:52:16in 2016
00:52:17before taking
00:52:18off during
00:52:19the pandemic
00:52:20in 2020.
00:52:21It's a
00:52:21British website
00:52:22that's boomed
00:52:23during the
00:52:24pandemic.
00:52:24This was the
00:52:29same year
00:52:30legitimate
00:52:30management
00:52:31agencies began
00:52:32to appear
00:52:33growing alongside
00:52:34the platform
00:52:34itself.
00:52:37What struck
00:52:38me was how
00:52:39some of
00:52:40these
00:52:40businesses
00:52:40even
00:52:41legitimate
00:52:41ones
00:52:42overlapped
00:52:43a subculture
00:52:44that was
00:52:44reshaping
00:52:45masculinity.
00:52:46One built
00:52:47around clicks
00:52:48cash and
00:52:49the commodification
00:52:50of women.
00:52:51But if
00:52:52agencies
00:52:52increased
00:52:53creators
00:52:54earnings
00:52:54OnlyFans
00:52:55benefited too
00:52:56as they took
00:52:58a 20%
00:52:58cut of
00:52:59every payment
00:53:00made by
00:53:01fans.
00:53:02Were
00:53:02managers
00:53:03actually good
00:53:04for business.
00:53:14A private
00:53:15threat between
00:53:16a content
00:53:17creator and
00:53:18OnlyFans had
00:53:19been forwarded
00:53:19to us.
00:53:20I went to
00:53:21meet up with
00:53:22one of the
00:53:22producers to
00:53:23go through
00:53:24them in more
00:53:25detail.
00:53:25So we just
00:53:26got an email
00:53:27through and
00:53:28it's from an
00:53:29OnlyFans
00:53:29creator called
00:53:30Riley and in
00:53:32this email
00:53:33in 2024.
00:53:35She said to
00:53:36them that
00:53:37there are
00:53:37people running
00:53:38agencies that
00:53:39are now buying
00:53:39and selling
00:53:40women to
00:53:41control on
00:53:41OnlyFans.
00:53:42The tactics
00:53:43of these
00:53:43groups consistently
00:53:44grow more
00:53:45and more
00:53:45exploitative.
00:53:46Some of
00:53:47these women
00:53:47are being
00:53:48sex trafficked
00:53:48physically and
00:53:49not just
00:53:50online.
00:53:51So OnlyFans
00:53:53did actually
00:53:53reply.
00:53:54They said a
00:53:55kind of standard
00:53:56response,
00:53:56thank you for
00:53:56contacting
00:53:57OnlyFans,
00:53:58we're currently
00:53:58reviewing your
00:53:59case and
00:53:59we'll get
00:53:59back to
00:54:00you.
00:54:01And then
00:54:01they sent
00:54:04another email
00:54:04to say we
00:54:05need additional
00:54:06details to
00:54:07investigate this
00:54:08case.
00:54:08So Riley's
00:54:10got back to
00:54:11OnlyFans.
00:54:11They sent
00:54:12them a link
00:54:13to OFM
00:54:13Empire.
00:54:14Yeah.
00:54:16Riley says
00:54:16there's hundreds
00:54:17of these poor
00:54:18girls with some
00:54:19being sold with
00:54:20contracts giving
00:54:20the creator as
00:54:21little as 20%
00:54:22of their income.
00:54:23I mean she's
00:54:24been pretty
00:54:25courageous here.
00:54:27You know,
00:54:28some pretty good
00:54:29evidence there.
00:54:30We were really
00:54:31shocked actually
00:54:32that they sent a
00:54:33pretty generic
00:54:34response saying
00:54:34thank you for
00:54:35your concern and
00:54:36cooperation.
00:54:37However unfortunately
00:54:38at this time the
00:54:39provided evidence is
00:54:40not enough to
00:54:40influence the
00:54:41activity of these
00:54:42agencies outside
00:54:43our platform.
00:54:44So essentially
00:54:45what they're saying
00:54:46is that this is
00:54:47out of our scope,
00:54:49it's off our
00:54:49platform and
00:54:50unless you tell
00:54:51us who has been
00:54:53affected by it
00:54:54there's nothing
00:54:54that we can do.
00:54:55So is it that's
00:54:56all they said
00:54:56back to her
00:54:57after that?
00:54:57There's been no
00:54:58follow-up at all.
00:55:00They've kind of
00:55:01just let the
00:55:02situation lie
00:55:03as it is.
00:55:04So while we
00:55:06can't say what
00:55:07they did internally
00:55:08we do know that
00:55:09the outcome is
00:55:10nothing.
00:55:15One, slavery and
00:55:16human trafficking
00:55:17is illegal.
00:55:18It can end up
00:55:20with a lifetime
00:55:20with a lifetime
00:55:21sentence in prison
00:55:22so I am alarmed
00:55:24that someone has
00:55:25reported to OnlyFans
00:55:26that there's sex
00:55:28trafficking going on
00:55:29on these sites,
00:55:30signposted to
00:55:31evidence that
00:55:32that's happening
00:55:33and OnlyFans has
00:55:34responded saying
00:55:35there's nothing we can
00:55:37do about it.
00:55:40to me it would say
00:55:42that they're not
00:55:42taking this matter
00:55:43sufficiently seriously
00:55:44or at worst
00:55:46turning a blind eye.
00:55:48Why would they be
00:55:49turning a blind eye
00:55:50to it?
00:55:52Acting on these
00:55:54types of complaints
00:55:55and taking action
00:55:56against these agents
00:55:57and agencies
00:55:58is going to cut
00:55:59into their bottom line.
00:56:00So why would they
00:56:01tolerate this for any
00:56:02other reason other
00:56:03than to preserve
00:56:04their bottom line
00:56:05and an income stream?
00:56:10Technological change
00:56:12has reshaped our world
00:56:13but it has also
00:56:14created new opportunities
00:56:15for sexual exploitation
00:56:16to proliferate
00:56:18on a scale
00:56:19we have never seen before
00:56:20because our legislation
00:56:22has not kept pace
00:56:23and is not capable
00:56:24of keeping pace.
00:56:26We gave our findings
00:56:27to Tonya Antoniazzi.
00:56:29She's the chair
00:56:30of an all-party
00:56:32parliamentary group
00:56:33on commercial
00:56:33sexual exploitation.
00:56:35And one of Parliament's
00:56:37most outspoken voices
00:56:39on this issue.
00:56:40Do you think early fans
00:56:42have broken any laws?
00:56:43I think those laws
00:56:45that are being broken
00:56:46are hiding behind
00:56:47a paywall
00:56:48and they choose
00:56:50not to see it
00:56:51because they have got
00:56:53a lot of money
00:56:53they are very powerful
00:56:55and they are showing
00:56:56that they are this
00:56:58fun empowering
00:57:00social media platform
00:57:01and they think
00:57:02it's okay
00:57:03but it isn't
00:57:05and your evidence
00:57:06has shown
00:57:07that it isn't.
00:57:08This is like the biggest
00:57:10pimping website
00:57:12that exists.
00:57:14We've seen online platforms
00:57:15just move at great speed.
00:57:18They are exploiting that.
00:57:19They need to be held to account.
00:57:21OnlyFans are a British company
00:57:23aren't they?
00:57:23So that means
00:57:24that they are answerable
00:57:25to you
00:57:26as a government.
00:57:27Do you think
00:57:28off the back of this stuff
00:57:29that we've found
00:57:29we need to be asking them
00:57:31new and different questions?
00:57:33We need to be looking
00:57:34at this in government.
00:57:35I would like to see
00:57:37the Select Committee
00:57:38look at OnlyFans
00:57:41as it is
00:57:42as it stands now
00:57:44and create legislation
00:57:46around this area
00:57:47because it's a whole
00:57:49new world.
00:58:19that's a whole
00:58:22Definitely no sign there.
00:58:25It says private offices.
00:58:27I've come to this address, which is listed online as their headquarters here in London.
00:58:32All these people walking past would have no clue that they were bases.
00:58:37No sign, no nothing.
00:58:38And this is how they've operated for so long.
00:58:41It's all this content behind paywalls.
00:58:44It's all hidden.
00:58:45And that's how these managers have kind of come in and filled that gap.
00:58:48And when I think about all these people I've met around this country who have been abused or harassed,
00:58:55this company has real questions to answer.
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