AMA: Patreon and NSFW content

Q.: Over the past couple months several creators I support on Patreon have left the site for other platforms (Only Fans, etc) citing Patreon's recent changes to their rules regarding content with nudity and/or depictions of sexual activities.
What are you thoughts on this and do you feel that you too will be forced to move to another platform?

A: Here’s the short answer: No, I’m not going anywhere. 😀

Here’s the longer answer, if you’re interested…

Patreon's commitment to NSFW content

As a NSFW content creator, sometimes it can feel as if you’re under constant attack. Tumblr provides an excellent example. Folks who spent years on that platform literally woke up one morning to find out that everything they had built had been wiped out overnight. (My prediction is that Twitter will soon do the same.)

So many people in our community are — understandably — somewhat susceptible to panic.

Regarding Patreon — and I can’t emphasize this strongly enough — they have repeatedly and passionately affirmed and reaffirmed their commitment to NSFW content. Furthermore, they have done so when — from a business standpoint — it would have been much easier to cut us loose.

Patreon’s regulations on nudity and depictions of sexual acts is the same as it has been for years. There are certain things they don’t allow. This includes things like non-consent, minors and bestiality. As long as you avoid those things, you’re OK. Keep in mind that sometimes judging the age of a cartoon character may be dicey — and that sometimes Patreon has requested an artist take down an image even if it had one of those “character is over 18” notes on it. It’s not a perfect system.

That’s why recently Patreon changed how it does take-down notices in these situations. Instead of locking down the creator’s entire account — like it used to — now they lock the single post that is questionable and work directly with the creator to rectify the situation. This new way allows the creator to continue posting and earning money. That’s a huge improvement.

Friendly fraud

Patreon is between a rock and a hard place. Everything they’re trying to do requires flying under the radar. Government agencies keep a close watch on this kind of content. And credit-card companies make it very hard on NSFW-content creators because of the notoriously high degree of “friendly fraud.” An example of this is when someone’s spouse finds 18+ content charged to their credit-card bill and the “guilty” party claims their card was hacked. It happens A LOT. And credit-card companies hate that because it’s costly to them.

As a result, to retain their commitment to adult content, Patreon has to do things like requiring creators not to post links to/from their Patreon account from a site that contains 18+ content. That’s a red flag that they need to avoid. And it’s a rule that it’s ridiculously easy for creators to follow. (It's also a rule that precious few NSFW creators actually understand.)

Mastercard

Recently Mastercard issued a unilateral decree requiring any and all platforms that host NSFW content must collect certain forms of identification to verify age and consent. Patreon has no choice in this matter. Either they collect that information or they lose the roughly 50% of patrons who use Mastercard. I've been in on a number of informational sessions on the topic, and my opinion is that Patreon is bending over backwards to protect the privacy of their creators. (As they should.)

Unless I’m missing some fresh, new panic, the people who are leaving for other platforms are responding to one of the issues I identified above. And the sad truth is, they’ll have to address those same issues on those other platforms as well — either now, or in the future. In my opinion, they’re making a costly mistake, and they’re making it because they’re reading stuff on social media and assuming those people know what they’re talking about! And that's sad because it only takes a few minutes of inquiry to find out the facts.

Bottom line

I’m staying on Patreon. It’s the leading platform and its commitment to NSFW content has been commendable. If that ever changes — and I hope it never does — then and only then will I be forced to make new plans.