As Elon Musk’s social media platform X/Twitter continues to struggle with an advertiser exodus, another issue has come to the forefront — the proliferation of pornographic content on the site.
Bloomberg reports that Elon Musk’s X, formerly known as Twitter, has long been known for its permissive stance on suggestive material. However, in recent months, the platform has seen a significant increase in X-rated content, largely attributed to Musk’s decision to cut content moderation teams. This surge in pornography has not only raised concerns among users but also threatens to further undermine Musk’s efforts to win back advertisers who fled the platform since he took over ownership.
According to John Herrman of New York magazine, one particularly viral type of post on X involves the phrase “pussy in bio,” often leading users to simple scams. These posts, frequently generated by porn spambots, lure lonely individuals into following a series of links, promising to connect them with local singles. The ease with which such scams proliferate on the platform highlights X/Twitter’s inability to effectively combat the issue at scale.
OnlyFans logo displayed on a phone screen and a website displayed on a laptop screen are seen in this illustration photo taken in Krakow, Poland on April 27, 2021. (Photo Illustration by Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Beyond the “PIB” scams, X has become a haven for OnlyFans creators looking to market themselves. While Twitter, even before Musk’s acquisition, had liberal content policies allowing for porn when correctly labeled and restricted from certain high-profile areas, the current situation on X/Twitter has escalated. Herrman reports that the platform is now inundated with posts promoting OnlyFans agencies, which are essentially accounts for OnlyFans creators staffed by call center workers impersonating real people, operating in a manner similar to flirt sites.
The ubiquity of porn and porn-adjacent spam on X/Twitter presents a potential growth opportunity for the troubled company. However, it simultaneously risks further alienating advertisers who are already wary of the platform’s content moderation issues. Worse yet, the prevalence of such content may make users uncomfortable, driving them away from the site. Many Twitter users complain about the level of porn spam and Onlyfans ads when they are simply trying to view and engage with comment threads.
X/Twitter’s gutting of content moderation teams has had clear ramifications for the spread of pornographic content. A recent incident involving a viral deepfake porn video of Taylor Swift highlighted the platform’s inadequate response, with the platform merely blocking searches for the celebrity’s name for several days.
Breitbart News recently reported that X is testing a feature that enables users to establish or join communities centered around “adult content” or other “not safe for work” (NSFW) material. The move comes as part of the platform’s efforts to differentiate itself from other mainstream social networking services while ensuring the safety of its users.
According to screenshots uncovered by Daniel Buchuk, an analyst at Watchful, users who create a community within the X/Twitter app can specify in the settings that their group “contains adult-sensitive content.” These X groups will then feature an “adult content” label, and users who fail to label their community appropriately could see some of the content being filtered out or removed.
Read more at Bloomberg here.
Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship.
