Will IFM weather the storm?

halkun · 21-08-21 00:30:43

So with all of the uncertainty around the recent shenanigans with OnlyFans, I've gotten a bit worried. Namely, that it appears that credit card companies are withdrawing support for websites that have user-submitted sexual content. Pornhub was the first major one, and they never got their merchant accounts back. I'm wondering how will websites like IFeelMyself, IShotMyself, and Beautiful Agony stand up if it becomes their turn.

I only ask because I know these websites (IFM, ISM, and BA) don't have "Porn Stars" in the typical sense, but rather normal non-sex-work women (and in the case of BA, people) who submit their own content. There are exceptions like some of the women who seem to have been hired later to do web/editing/business stuff, which is an interesting facet I guess.

I'm assuming the vetting process is more stringent with you guys? I mean, without going all out and doing some kind of hiring process with them. Though it's funny to think that there is an interview process where you ask for work history with a "Clerks" like dialog where an exasperated interviewee is like "37?... In a row?"

I get that the women don't have their own "accounts" and the content is more centrally drip-fed, but they have their own "page" I guess. I mean there is a higher standard for these sites.

But, in the end, what is stopping the credit card processor to say here "Sorry, since you are accepting user content, you can't have anything explicit anymore and if you don't remove it we will pull your credit card merchant account."

I mean, there are literally thousands of people across the websites, and is just age verification enough? Even though with the high standard of these sites, I'm sure there is more, but is even that enough?

richard · 21-08-21 01:21:44

You're right, we've been facing compliance headwinds for a couple of years now and much of it is driven by the credit card companies. However the important difference is that we don't allow users to post content, they submit to us, we check it, edit it, and establish without doubt the identity and age of the contributor. We are in the final stages of establishing an account with a new processing provider, who have spent nearly a year checking us for compliance, and have approved our business model. So for the time being at least, we seem to be safe. But it's definitely a case of throwing out the baby with the bathwater when so many independent content creators lose their platform because of a small number of people who aren't compliant. I'm watching the camming platforms with interest, they must be under pressure.

privignus · 21-08-21 02:42:12

Violet Blue does good reporting on the political economy from a US perspective https://www.engadget.com/2015-12-02-pay … ustry.html Its one reason I am very skeptical of any move away from paper money.

richard · 21-08-21 04:41:22

privignus wrote:

Violet Blue does good reporting on the political economy from a US perspective https://www.engadget.com/2015-12-02-pay … ustry.html Its one reason I am very skeptical of any move away from paper money.

Unfortunately paper money doesn't really work online (we get about 1 a week) and digital currency is probably the future, but I reckon it won't be Bitcoin, it'll be state sanctioned currencies which include built-in safeguards to enable tracking transactions.

troyforyou · 21-08-21 09:03:52

Porn is the first and most successful business online. Can't see it being yanked. But I'm ready/willing to send you checks.

richard · 21-08-21 12:09:52

troyforyou wrote:

Porn is the first and most successful business online. Can't see it being yanked. But I'm ready/willing to send you checks.

If only it were that easy. Cashing a cheque from the USA takes half an hour at the bank and the fee is like $30 or something. But if you're will to take out a lifetime sub...

troyforyou · 21-08-21 17:45:01

I would take out a lifetime sub if it weren't for this thread making me nervous.

troyforyou · 22-08-21 00:24:37

I'm sure there will be a way forward. Too much money in porn to not work out.

richard · 22-08-21 02:47:15

We ain't goin' nowhere!

privignus · 22-08-21 03:52:30

richard wrote:

privignus wrote:
Violet Blue does good reporting on the political economy from a US perspective https://www.engadget.com/2015-12-02-pay … ustry.html Its one reason I am very skeptical of any move away from paper money.
Unfortunately paper money doesn't really work online (we get about 1 a week) and digital currency is probably the future, but I reckon it won't be Bitcoin, it'll be state sanctioned currencies which include built-in safeguards to enable tracking transactions.

Since the rest of the world reached a deal with Iran about their nuclear program, only to have the US financial system under presidential orders block the end of sanctions, the EU has been hurrying the introduction of their money-transfer systems (SEPA and IBAN and whatnot) so European economic policy can't be vetoed by outside powers. I suspect that will continue, although Europe has its version of the porn and sex worker wars too.

privignus · 22-08-21 17:40:03

Erika Moen of the OhJoySexToy webcomic is dropping out of the "talking about sex on the Internet" business and the culture wars which that puts her in the middle of.

FlyingChicken · 25-08-21 23:23:53

My understanding from the BBC and Twitter is that Onlyfans had/has issues with illegal content (scatological, underage, beastiality, unconsensual sex etc) that Feck quite correctly doesn’t touch with a barge pole.

I suspect that if onlyfans had a proper compliance process in place that they’d be fine.

smoothed · 26-08-21 06:15:56

FlyingChicken wrote:

My understanding from the BBC and Twitter is that Onlyfans had/has issues with illegal content (scatological, underage, beastiality, unconsensual sex etc) that Feck quite correctly doesn’t touch with a barge pole.
I suspect that if onlyfans had a proper compliance process in place that they’d be fine.

Due process is definitely a big deal, but, by virtue of how big they became they naturally drew a great deal of scrutiny. IFM is still an acquired taste, and requires much more resources to produce than an OF video clip.

The principles upon which IFM was founded I believe will keep it above the fray, and it will take someone with overt malicious intent to take us down. I live in hope.

privignus · 26-08-21 06:43:08

OnlyFans is backing down (The Verge but the pornocalypse, driven by pressure through US banks and payment processors, comes for us all. I suspect there are reasons why MindGeek is based in Canada.

richard · 26-08-21 06:51:39

privignus wrote:

OnlyFans is backing down (The Verge but the pornocalypse, driven by pressure through US banks and payment processors, comes for us all. I suspect there are reasons why MindGeek is based in Canada.

Interesting backflip, and I wonder whether they were approached by a new bank to get their business. We were dumped by a mainstream European bank last year, as they consider it high risk. I think the risk that really worries them is a headline "[name of top tier bank] processed payments for [name of sex crime]". Here in Au one of our biggest banks had that experience after it was revealed - or alleged at least - that some guy had used them to transfer money to another country for the purposes of child exploitation. I didn't go far enough into it to find out the extent of it, and it may not even be known, but realistically, any bank that's processing millions of transactions a year has facilitated every crime you can imagine, multiple times. They can't be expected to know what the money is being used for.

privignus · 26-08-21 07:13:33

In 2019, Mastercard said it was reluctant to try to stop illegal Neo-Nazi organizations in Germany and Austria from using their system.

Stoya has a (wordy) take on the situation https://slate.com/human-interest/2021/0 … story.html

#1 21-08-21 00:30:43

Will IFM weather the storm?

#2 21-08-21 01:21:44

Re: Will IFM weather the storm?

#3 21-08-21 02:42:12

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#4 21-08-21 04:41:22

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#5 21-08-21 09:03:52

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#6 21-08-21 12:09:52

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#7 21-08-21 17:45:01

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#8 22-08-21 00:24:37

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#9 22-08-21 02:47:15

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#10 22-08-21 03:52:30

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#11 22-08-21 17:40:03

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#12 25-08-21 23:23:53

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#13 26-08-21 06:15:56

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#14 26-08-21 06:43:08

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#15 26-08-21 06:51:39

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#16 26-08-21 07:13:33

Re: Will IFM weather the storm?

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