A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal

OnlyFans and Deep Fake Porn – Can We Accept the Former but Condemn the Latter?




AuthorsRäsänen, Joona

PublisherInforma UK Limited

Publication year2026

Journal: The new bioethics

ISSN2050-2877

eISSN2050-2885

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1080/20502877.2025.2610910

Publication's open availability at the time of reportingOpen Access

Publication channel's open availability Partially Open Access publication channel

Web address https://doi.org/10.1080/20502877.2025.2610910

Self-archived copy’s web addresshttps://research.utu.fi/converis/portal/detail/Publication/515625628

Self-archived copy's licenceCC BY

Self-archived copy's versionPublisher`s PDF


Abstract

Many people think that producing online pornography, such as creating sexual content at OnlyFans, is permissible. Many of the same people also think that creating deepfake pornography without or against the consent of the person is wrong. I argue that accepting online sex work is inconsistent with judging pornographic deepfakes as worse than non-pornographic deepfakes. This claim resembles similarity with a broader problem in sexual ethics raised by David Benatar. I apply Benatar’s argument in the context of online sexual activities to highlight the ethical issues recent technological developments raise. I do this neither as a case against the permissibility of online sex work nor as a defense of pornographic deep fakes. The purpose is to point out the inconsistency. One could avoid the problem by extending or limiting the range of permissible sexual practices online. But if I am right, we cannot both accept OnlyFans and condemn non-consensual pornographic deep fakes.


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Funding information in the publication
European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions grant agreement No. 101081293.


Last updated on 02/03/2026 09:06:45 AM