OnlyFans Leaks: Legal Rights and Privacy Protection
- August 2, 2024
- Internet Privacy
The rise of OnlyFans offers a way for creators to share exclusive content with their audience. However, leaks are also on the rise. This breaches online privacy, undermines content creator’s work, and can cause severe distress. Keep reading to learn about removing and preventing OnlyFans leaks, and how to protect yourself.
Is OnlyFans Safe?
Generally, people consider OnlyFans (aka OF) to be a safe platform. However, you must take precautions as a content creator.
The site has become a massive online platform in recent years. Popularity exploded during the pandemic, and has only continued to rise. In 2024, the platform now has 230 million registered users.
Most of the 3.1 million creators post explicit photos and videos, even after a proposed ban on NSFW content in 2021.
And not every “fan” has good intentions.
Like any other social media platform, using this site comes with risks. (And likely more risks, such as Only Fans leaks, if you produce explicit content.)
Risks for Content Creators on OnlyFans:
Even though OnlyFans content exists behind a paywall, creators are still vulnerable. While you might be able to make a lot of money, here are some risks you should be aware of:
OnlyFans Leaks
Downloading or screenshotting on OF goes against the site’s policies. However, despite steps OnlyFans has taken to stop users downloading content, leaks are still quite common.
Thieves will always find a way to take screen recordings – usually with a third party app – and upload them to another site.
If this has happened to you, follow this guide to removing leaked pictures.
Needless to say, there are several problems with leaked OnlyFans content:
- You signed up to monetize your content, right? Leaks undermine that entirely. Pictures and videos should be behind a paywall, but people won’t pay for it if they can find it for free elsewhere.
- Your images and videos are your intellectual property. You have a legal right to control who can use and have access to that property.
- People may take your pictures and videos and make fake online profiles. They pretend to be you and may even take money from unsuspecting subscribers.
- Leaks are a huge violation of your privacy. Many creators don’t tell friends and family about the work they do, so these leaks can compromise your safety and mental health.
- With so many legal issues, creators may find themselves in long, drawn out legal battles.
Financial Fraud
You may also encounter financial fraud and scams as an OnlyFans creator.
Some “fans” may at first pay to view your content. But, then they do a chargeback, meaning they get their money back and you don’t receive payment, even though they saw it.
Promotion scams are another huge problem. You might get messages from people claiming they can help you grow your account. They convince you to pay them without ever providing any services.
Doxxing
Many creators try to stay anonymous and hide their identity. But, you are still at risk of doxxing.
Doxxing is when someone publishes private information about someone without their consent. They could publish your full name, private pictures, addresses, phone number, and more. The intent is typically to harass, intimidate, or in some way harm the victim.
This can happen through data breaches, accessing your public records, hacking into your account, or social engineering.
Stalking & Harassment
If people learn your real identity or personal information, you are vulnerable to stalking and harassment. Harassment may start on your OF page, but if people can find you elsewhere, it spills out into other areas of your life.
One creator lived in constant fear when an OnlyFans user broke into her home.
Online harassment can escalate to physical stalking if people find where you live. This poses serious safety risks for creators and can lead to physical harm.
Data Breaches & Hacking
Like many online platforms, OnlyFans is also subject to data breaches and compromises. If this happens, your sensitive information like your identity, ip address, financial information, etc is at risk.
This is true for both creators and users, as people must verify their identity to open a profile.
In 2021, a former employee admitted to still having access to sensitive customer data. This included “credit card information, drivers’ licenses, passports, full names, addresses, bank statements,” and more.
Learn more about protecting yourself from online blackmail.
How Does OnlyFans Protect Content?
OnlyFans has content protection measures in place, but this rarely stops people from leaking it anyway:
Tools for Creators
If you create content on the platform, you have some tools at your disposal to protect yourself:
- Watermarking to make it less appealing to pirates and easier to trace
- Geoblocking so creators can block specific regions or countries from access
- Account verification to ensure the identity of subscribers
- Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) for an extra layer of protection
- Privacy settings to restrict messages, comments, and hide their account from search results
- Built-in methods to report abuse, harassment, or suspicious activity
- Legal support
- Secure payment processing
OnlyFans Copyright Protection
Any content you create is your intellectual property. You hold a legal copyright, and OF leaks violate that copyright. So, the platform has a system of reporting leaks to try and remove them.
But, you may need to file an OnlyFans DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright Act) takedown request. Keep reading to learn how.
OnlyFans DRM Protection
OnlyFans uses Digital Rights Management (DRM) technology to prevent unauthorized distribution of content. Basically, this prevents users from downloading videos or taking a screenshot. But, many still find a way around this.
Can You Screenshot OnlyFans?
Simply screenshotting or downloading OnlyFans content for personal use violates their terms of service, but isn’t necessarily illegal.
However, most people download it to distribute it, and that is a huge problem. Depending on the type of content and where you live, this may violate revenge porn laws as well as copyright and online privacy law.
Similar rules apply to other image sharing platforms like Snapchat. If you’re dealing specifically with leaked Snapchat images, check out our removal guide.
DRM makes downloading and screenshotting on OF a bit more difficult. Users who try to screenshot from a mobile device will just see a blank screen, and they can not download content directly.
However, people who want to leak adultcontent will always find a way, unfortunately.
How To Protect Yourself On OnlyFans
Use these tips to keep your exclusive content private:
1: Maintain an air of mystery
Don’t be afraid to be as vague as possible about who you are on OnlyFans. Ue these tips:
- Never post or reveal private information to anyone. Don’t tell anyone your name, addresses, phone number, job, etc.
- Remove your personal information from Google (because creeps will definitely try to Google you.)
- Use a stage name that you only use on your OF page.
- Consider wearing wigs, costumes, covering up identifying marks, and hiding your face on camera.
- Be mindful of your backgrounds, and don’t upload anything that could reveal your location.
2: Secure your account
Do what you can to make sure no one else can get into your account. Use these tips:
- Create a new email address that you only use for your OnlyFans account. You never know when a data breach could happen, and you don’t want people to trace your email.
- Create a strong, long password with a combination of letters, special characters, and numbers. Make it difficult to guess, change it frequently, and keep it in a password manager.
- Enable two-factor authentication (2FA) on your account. That way, if someone guesses your password, they will still have trouble gaining access to your account.
3: Check your bank account
Check your bank account regularly to keep an eye on suspicious activity. Payments for your content should be coming directly from the OnlyFans site. Report any suspicious activity or chargebacks to the website, as well as your bank.
4: Use a watermark
Before you upload anything, add a watermark. It won’t necessarily stop people from stealing your videos, but it makes it easier to identify leaks. You can create your own custom watermark for added copyright protection.
5: Take legal action against OnlyFans leaks
If someone steals your pictures, you can take legal action.
If someone reposted your videos or photos directly to OnlyFans, click “Report” at the top of the post.
However, if someone leaked your content on another site (Reddit is a common one), you will need to take extra steps. You should still notify OnlyFans, but they only have control over their own site.
Follow these steps:
- Use our guide to submit a DMCA Takedown Notice to the website hosting the leaked content. The website host may remove it after receiving this takedown notice.
- Send a cease and desist letter to the person who stole your content to warn them that you will take legal action if they don’t stop.
- Initiate a criminal case against the perpetrator if they have violated revenge porn laws. You will either get a public defender or you can choose to hire a lawyer.
- File a civil lawsuit in cases of copyright infringement and emotional distress. For civil lawsuits, you will need to hire a lawyer. Find one that specializes in internet and copyright law.
- If you’re worried about others seeing your court records, you can remove court cases from Google search.
In Closing: OnlyFans Privacy
Privacy breaches on OnlyFans can be frustrating, scary, and even dangerous. Content leaks are all too common, and it can be difficult to remove information about you from the internet.
If you experienced a breach of online privacy, the Reputation911 Internet Privacy team is here for you. Contact us for a free consultation today.
About The Author
William DiAntonio is the Founder & CEO of Reputation911, a reputation management firm he founded in 2010 that has earned the trust of its clients for over a decade by helping individuals, businesses and brands control their online search results.
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