Live data from Hacker News

Ask HN: How does onlyfans.com work around the “no porn” Stripe rule?

news.ycombinator.com

151–160 of 305 posts

Re: Ask HN: How does onlyfans.com work around the “no porn” Stripe rule?

#151

Cascading payments might be the real answer, and shuffling higher risk charges to non-Stripe providers, but in my experience, Stripe can get pretty moralizing pretty quickly. We built an adult ecommerce site (purely toys for purchase, no porn) and because other adult toy sites had been successful on Stripe, Stripe assured us this wouldn't be a problem. Six months and several million dollars processed later, Stripe in…

That’s ridiculous, sorry to hear that. I think there’s hope with decentralized payment systems (whatever/whichever they end up being, be it crypto, or some other mechanism) where digital payments can occur without the needed approval of any centralized vendor.

Sadly mass adoption is a bit more distant.

Re: Ask HN: How does onlyfans.com work around the “no porn” Stripe rule?

#152

Cascading payments might be the real answer, and shuffling higher risk charges to non-Stripe providers, but in my experience, Stripe can get pretty moralizing pretty quickly. We built an adult ecommerce site (purely toys for purchase, no porn) and because other adult toy sites had been successful on Stripe, Stripe assured us this wouldn't be a problem. Six months and several million dollars processed later, Stripe in…

This is an incredibly frustrating read. I know, I know there are far worse things in the world but fucking Wells Fargo dictating to people when they evict homeowners who have no relationship with Wells Fargo, commit wholesale wire fraud, destroy people's credit and then turn around and lecture a honest business. This is why banking is a rent-seeking and though we need the financial industry they are ghoulish vampires…

Where there is a lot of money on the table to be had, there will be psychopaths.

Re: Ask HN: How does onlyfans.com work around the “no porn” Stripe rule?

#153
Often, when the market doesn't provide an essential gateway service to a law-abiding subpopulation, some sort of 'public option' is proposed.

Not enough market housing, offer public/subsidized options. Not enough low- or no-cost private education, offer public schools. Too little affordable healthcare/insurance, offer Medicaid, a 'public option', single-payer. Public transport.

Should the government offer a 'public option' payment-processor of last resort, with guaranteed service for all legal but unpopular businesses? A service that couldn't reject camgirls, weed-sellers, Alex Jones, gun shops, etc?

Re: Ask HN: How does onlyfans.com work around the “no porn” Stripe rule?

#154

Cascading payments might be the real answer, and shuffling higher risk charges to non-Stripe providers, but in my experience, Stripe can get pretty moralizing pretty quickly. We built an adult ecommerce site (purely toys for purchase, no porn) and because other adult toy sites had been successful on Stripe, Stripe assured us this wouldn't be a problem. Six months and several million dollars processed later, Stripe in…

What I'm curious about is whether or not OnlyFans has bribed off Wells Fargo -- I mean it could be in a legal way for financial services that are non existent.

In other words, Stripe allows OnlyFans because Wells Fargo has been bought off on the side. Ergo, Wells Fargo doesn't complain anymore.

How much would that need to be with Wells Fargo? 10 million per year? 50 million? Does OnlyFans make enough to afford 100 million per year?

Re: Ask HN: How does onlyfans.com work around the “no porn” Stripe rule?

#155
post #119

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The inverse of this. Here's their exact, hilarious wording: >Our banking partners recently notified us that they are no longer willing to support the sales of realistic sex toys. I understand that your products were designed to depict the body parts of mythological and fantastical creatures, and we have indicated this to our banking partners in an effort to advocate for continuing to support your business here on Str…

Wow, this is hysterical! A bank saying no to honest money because it’s sex toys, not even that, because it’s sex toys looking like human genitalia, — no not even that, because the toys are skin colored! I wonder if this would ever happen in Europe. I somehow feel that we’re more... open to these things. Do you know about Klarna?

Interesting question. I checked out Klarna and Adyen which seems to be the most popular in Europe right now.

Adyen lists "Adult entertainment, websites & content (such as)" as not allowed. https://www.adyen.com/dam/jcr:47f292a9-c9e2-4a69-8592-2e15ff...

Klarna lists "Adult, sexual or pornographic products and services, including live web cam" as not allowed. https://cdn.klarna.com/1.0/shared/content/policy/ethic/en_gb...

Both of them expand it more to cover everything possible around adult content and the like.

Re: Ask HN: How does onlyfans.com work around the “no porn” Stripe rule?

#157
post #25

How much of the internet traffic is actually pornography in general? I have heard a lot of anecdotal hearsay that it constitutes a majority.

At least in the US, Netflix and Google/YouTube represent over 50% of web bandwidth use, I believe. Somewhat old statistics here: https://www.cnet.com/news/netflix-youtube-gobble-up-half-of-... and https://thenextweb.com/apps/2014/11/21/netflix-now-accounts-... and https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2015/05/28... (all from Sandvine, mind you) I would have to imagine that, also being a streaming video se…

> There's a reason ISPs want to charge extra/differently for high bandwidth streaming video: It's the vast majority of what's loading up their networks.

Why not just charge by the byte and be done with it?

Re: Ask HN: How does onlyfans.com work around the “no porn” Stripe rule?

#158
post #153

Often, when the market doesn't provide an essential gateway service to a law-abiding subpopulation, some sort of 'public option' is proposed. Not enough market housing, offer public/subsidized options. Not enough low- or no-cost private education, offer public schools. Too little affordable healthcare/insurance, offer Medicaid, a 'public option', single-payer. Public transport. Should the government offer a 'public o…

We call this Bitcoin.

Re: Ask HN: How does onlyfans.com work around the “no porn” Stripe rule?

#159

Cascading payments might be the real answer, and shuffling higher risk charges to non-Stripe providers, but in my experience, Stripe can get pretty moralizing pretty quickly. We built an adult ecommerce site (purely toys for purchase, no porn) and because other adult toy sites had been successful on Stripe, Stripe assured us this wouldn't be a problem. Six months and several million dollars processed later, Stripe in…

Thank you for sharing your experience. It absolutely disgusts me the power that payment processors have over businesses. The sooner that industry is dismantled and made agnostic the better. I remember watching some BDSM website's documentary where they talked about how their payment processor dictated the kind of content they were allowed to make. It boggles my mind that people are okay with that. I also find it surp…

>> _help_ the sex industry thrive

There are dark sides. It is not the friendly industry oft portrayed. It is an industry that thrives on the young and naive. It is regulated because it needs to be. Most common complaint heard by lawyers in the field: "I did the shoot, the movie is on the website, but I haven't been paid." Followed worryingly by: "They said I had to because I had signed a contract."

The advice I give to anyone going to work on their first porn shoot: Bring a friend. Someone older, with a car, who will be on the set with you at all times.

Re: Ask HN: How does onlyfans.com work around the “no porn” Stripe rule?

#160
post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My friend and I were 13 and called 1-900 numbers back when it was popular. We took his moms credit card and changed some numbers around. Eventually a number we made up worked. It was a hilarious moment but I was scared to death we would be found out. Nothing ever happened but somebody got a charge.

Do they not ask for a CVV or any other verification?

Heck, Amazon doesn't even ask for a CVV.
Post reply on HN