BAD NUDES: Sweden eyes banning OnlyFans porn platform

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In the back of old men’s magazines, readers were urged to order their porn from the “smut centres of Scandinavia.”

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Now, Sweden has turned decidedly prudish.

The government has presented a new bill making it illegal to purchase sex services over the internet. If someone buys some bespoke bawdiness over OnlyFans, they could land in prison, and the website could be guilty of procuring.

According to the Expressen newspaper, the chairwoman of an umbrella group representing women’s groups called the legislation a good first step. She wants a total ban on sites like OnlyFans.

“It is a forum where sexual services are also sold,” Social Democrats politician Annika Strandhäll told Expressen. “Prostitution or the sex trade is constantly taking new forms, and it is important that politicians and legislators keep up with the developments that are taking place.”

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In addition to the torpedoing of OnlyFans, Strandhäll wants to see an age limit introduced on porn sites.

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“From the perspective of S-women, we see a big problem with the access to violent pornography that very young children in Sweden have today, just by pressing a button on their phones,” she said, adding that bank identification could be used.

Of particular concern is violent pornography, the Swedish activist said. Already, such smut is banned in France, and the U.K. introduced legislation in 2021 banning depictions of strangulation.

“That discussion also exists in Sweden. It is a new phenomenon and we know that it occurs not least among young people. It is also a feature that is found on these porn sites,” she said.

Strandhäll blew off the threat of privacy issues. Not all visitors will want their identities known.

“No, you may not want to. But we protect our children in many different ways from gaining access to different parts that are not appropriate in our society,” she told the newspaper.

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“For example, if you go to a gambling site, or have access to alcohol or the like.”

As expected, Strandhäll believes the current Liberal government has failed on gender equality issues. That includes not being tough enough on pornography.

But the idea of Sweden banning OnlyFans was something that was once unthinkable in the sexually liberated Nordic nation.

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The country of blondes and Ikea has been at the forefront of the sexual revolution, and that includes porn and prostitution. Rather than criminalize the sale of sex, the country barred the purchase of it.

The current attack on OnlyFans works under the same principle: Punish the purchaser. One official said it is “shameful and unacceptable that, in a gender equal society, men obtain casual sexual relations with women in return for payment.”

The goal of the “Nordic Model” is to torpedo demand for prostitution. Its four pillars are: Prosecuting clients, decriminalizing sellers, offering exit support, and shifting public attitudes.

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Exactly how effective the law has been remains to be seen. Critics say the law has driven sex work into the shadows.

But anti-porn crusaders claim platforms like OnlyFans create financial pressure that could lead to coercion. Ergo, the lure of easy money on the flesh market should be illegal.

Swedish stars on OnlyFans are outraged, wondering why the government isn’t tackling gambling and hedge funds instead.

One Redditt user wrote: “There are a hell of a lot of problems with the porn industry and people being exploited, but OnlyFans and similar platforms where people can provide their own material without getting involved with the porn industry as a whole are by far the least problematic form by a wide margin.”

bhunter@postmedia.com

@HunterTOSun

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