The crowdfunding service updated its rules last week to explicitly ban the sale of pornographic content and provision of sexual services.

It said at the time that it was clarifying an existing policy.

But the firm has been accused of betraying some of its members who say their activity is not illegal.

“We know people who would be homeless if it wasn’t for making porn on Patreon – and it’s not a small number,” the letter states.

“Your fuzzy position on ‘adult content’ versus ‘porn’ gives you the freedom to discriminate at will.

“And it makes content creators live in fear of that discrimination, itself leading to self-censorship of important viewpoints.”

Patreon’s chief executive has said he intends to issue a “thorough response” later this Wednesday.

Unlike most crowdfunding platforms – which focus on delivery of a single product or experience – Patreon provides its members with a way to charge a monthly subscription fee for an ongoing service, from which it takes a cut.

In many cases, this involves the delivery of podcasts, music, training videos and artistic performances.

But on 17 October, the site’s legal chief said he had become concerned that “a small number of creators” were involved in the creation of what he termed fringe adult content.

As a result, the San Francisco-based firm’s community guidelines were amended to state: “You can’t use Patreon to raise funds in order to produce pornographic material such as maintaining a website, funding the production of movies, or providing a private webcam session.”

Prior to this the wording was less detailed, stating instead that “Patreon is not for pornography, but some of the world’s most beautiful and historically significant art depicts nudity and sexual expression”. It had added that “suggestive imagery” was permitted if marked NSFW (not safe for work).

Billion dollar business

Although Patreon has indicated there has not been a major policy shift, the letter references a blogger who claims there has indeed been a “substantial change after a long period of stasis”.

“Porn is a multi-billion dollar industry mostly in the hands of well-heeled men,” the letter adds.

“You were helping us hold it in our own hands. We ask you to take a stand on behalf of the sex workers who use your platform, their fans, and everyone who supports freedom of expression.”

One academic said that Patreon might want to avoid the risk of being associated with “exploitation” but that censorship carried its own risks.

“There’s a lot of amateur work on Patreon that blurs the line, including people who draw erotic images that are likely to be affected by this,” commented Dr Bernie Hogan from the University of Oxford’s Internet Institute.

“And for some people, the notion that there is a strong distinction between porn that is bad and other expression that is good is not as tenable as it used to be.

“But it makes sense that [Patreon] would try to get more conservative as it tries to scale up. And I imagine there has been a particular use case… that has been trouble for it.”

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Source: BBC

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Mauricio Pinilla, Chile

Footage of Pinilla’s commemorative tattoo has appeared on Twitter

This is the most “World Cup” of World Cup tattoos. Inked in in just the last few days, it serves to remind striker Pinilla of his own near-miss in extra time during the second-round game against Brazil. Chile were later knocked out on penalties, with Pinilla having his attempt saved. The line “One centimetre from glory” adds to the tattoo’s hair-shirt quality. “It illustrates the depth of despair this individual is feeling,” says David Fletcher, a sports psychologist at Loughborough University. “It’s interesting that the tattoo is on his back, rather than his arm or wrist. It suggests that he’s not using it as a spur to further action but more of a statement of how close he came to glory.”

Sergio Ramos, Spain

The twin offerings – one on each calf – from the Real Madrid player show the World Cup and Champions League trophies. Spain did not win the former until 2010, while Real had to wait 12 years to take the latter for a record 10th time. Ramos and his teammates had high hopes of retaining the World Cup trophy in Brazil, but they were knocked out in the first round. “Not every tattoo has a narrative, and even those that do are often contrived,” says Matt Lodder, a body art historian at the University of Essex.

Nigel de Jong, Netherlands

The artist Ade Itameda, who draws inspiration from traditional Indonesian ornaments, patterns and carvings, designed the warrior-like tattoos covering the torso, arms and hands of midfielder Nigel de Jong. “The warrior theme shows just how central the World Cup is to his very being,” says David Fletcher. “It demonstrates that this one, gladiatorial moment in his life is core to his being and that there is no doubt in his mind that this is the defining moment of his life. It’s not just a game to these guys. They’ve trained a whole lifetime and it comes down to a few moments.”

Daniele de Rossi, Italy

The midfielder plays up his own tough approach, which has sometimes got him into trouble, with a mocked-up triangular “hazard” sign of a tackle being performed. It looks like a warning of a slippery floor left behind by an office cleaner. But the tattoo has a bit of extra edge, as the opponent’s leg is hacked away. Because of the need to wear socks during football matches, it is usually seen only in training.

Neymar, Brazil

The injured superstar’s neck inscription has a philosophical edge, much-needed following his team’s semi-final performance. The expression “Tudo Passa” translates into “Everything passes” or “Nothing lasts” in English. Neymar, who left the tournament early with a broken backbone, had to watch as his side were beaten 7-1 by Germany. At least he has the consolation of being only 22 years old, with a chance of making amends for the team in 2018 and 2022. Neymar also has tattoos on his legs saying “Ousadia” and “Alegria”, meaning “daring” and “joy”, both of which he commissioned before joining Barcelona last year.

Raheem Sterling, England

The teenage winger draws inspiration from his childhood in west London, choosing a picture of a 10-year-old boy staring up in wonder at Wembley Stadium’s famous arch, accompanied by the statement: “It’s a dream.” “Wembley was literally around the corner,” he has said. “I used to ride my bike round this little car park that was by the stadium. It’s something that I’ve always wanted – to play for England and be the best I can be as a footballer.”

Raul Meireles, Portugal

The montage adorning the entire right leg of the midfielder, who plays his club football in Turkey, works like an autobiography/travelogue. Designs include the baroque Torre dos Clerigos church in Meireles’ home city of Porto, a cable car (either in Porto or Lisbon, according to the Anglo-Portuguese Society) and a Portuguese Fado guitar. There is a depiction of the Blue Mosque in Istanbul, where his club Fenerbahce is based, at the top of the thigh. This is reached via a red telephone box above the knee – a reminder of Meireles’ time playing for Chelsea and Liverpool.

Tim Howard, USA

The shot-stopper par excellence is one of the most decorated of the players on display in Brazil. He has a Superman logo, dragons and a crucifix among his tattoo collection. It also includes pictures of his mother as a young woman and his grandfather in military uniform, which he had done at the Aurora studio in Lancaster in May. “He brought in some photographs to work from,” says co-owner Sam Wisniewski. “He had obviously thought about what he wanted and he sat down and talked about it. If the design is really personal and we know the full story, that makes the design much better.” Unlike most players, Howard does not usually remove his shirts after matches. In this picture, he was bearing his torso as part of a campaign for the animal rights group Peta.

Lionel Messi, Argentina

Messi has his son Thiago’s name tattooed on to his left calf, underneath a pair of hands, presumably based on those of the child. They are not believed to refer to fellow countryman Diego Maradona’s “hand of God” goal against England in the quarter-final of the 1986 World Cup. Messi’s effort is seldom witnessed in matches because it is usually covered by a sock.

Cristiano Ronaldo, Portugal

The Portugal captain is something of a counter-culturalist in modern football, choosing not to have any tattoos. The reason? He frequently gives blood and it’s not recommended that people do so soon after getting a tattoo or body piercing, for fear of spreading infections. In fact, it’s banned within four months in the UK.

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Source: BBC

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