Singapore Will Closely Monitor OnlyFans, Not All Content Objectionable
The arrest of Singaporean OnlyFans creator Titus Low on charges of transmitting obscene material online has raised questions about the safety of the content subscription service.
SourceThe concern was apparently so strong that it was brought up to Parliament recently by Dr Shahira Abdullah.
Minister for Communications and Information Josephine Teo responded to the Parliamentary Question on 12 Jan, saying that the Government is closely monitoring the site.
If needed, they will take regulatory action.
Titus Low charged for transmitting obscene materials
Trouble started brewing for popular OnlyFans content creator Low on 4 Sep last year, when an anonymous person filed a police report against him.
The offences reportedly pertained to the circulation of obscene materials via electronic means.
3 months later, the police seized his OnlyFans account, in which they allegedly found 32 such photographs and 29 videos.
Low was charged twice on 31 Dec 2021 for transmission of obscene materials by electronic means, facing a jail term of up to 6 months and/or a fine of up to $5,000.
In addition, he lost access to his OnlyFans account.
OnlyFans is a platform that lets content creators post paid content for their followers. Users have to be 18 years and above to be able to access it.
Not all OnlyFans content is objectionable
Following the saga surrounding Titus Low, concerns regarding the safety of the OnlyFans website and its contents arose.
Explaining why the Government is not banning the platform, Ms Teo expressed the Ministry for Communications and Information (MCI)’s belief that there is a holistic way of dealing with such content.
After all, filtering out all obscene or objectionable content is realistically impossible. Ms Teo hence mentioned the need to look beyond banning the site.
Therefore, the MCI will only closely monitor the site for now.
Government will take regulatory action if necessary
While this means that Singapore users can still access this service, OnlyFans creators should be warier of the content they put out.
Ms Teo added that the authorities will take regulatory actions should there be a risk of exploitation and abuse.
She also assured that there are guidelines and cyber wellness programmes available.
Ending her response, Ms Teo reminded everyone that making the Internet a safe space is a collective effort.
Safe Internet browsing is everyone’s responsibility
Public concern about safe Internet usage is understandable, especially now that children are going online from an early age.
However, cyber safety isn’t the responsibility of the authorities alone. We can all do our parts even at home.
So let’s learn to set our own boundaries and protect them carefully, to keep harmful content away.
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Featured image adapted from @titusslow on Instagram and govsg on YouTube.
