X lives up to its name: Elon Musk allows porn

X has never been so aptly named: publishing sexually explicit content is now allowed.

Is X so financially strapped that its last option for generating new revenue streams would be to monetize sexual content? At least, that's what the latest update to its"adult content" policy suggests, indicating that, provided it respects majority and consent: " consensually produced and distributed adult nudity or sexual behavior" is now (officially) allowed in the app ." "Officially", because it's no secret that adult content has always occupied a special place on Twitter.

How does X define adult content?

"Adult content means any consensually produced and distributed material depicting adult nudity or pornographic sexual behavior or intended to provoke sexual arousal." This also applies to AI-generated, photographic or animated content such as cartoons, hentai or anime. Examples include depictions of full or partial nudity, including close-ups of genitals, buttocks or breasts; and explicit or implied sexual behavior or simulated acts such as intercourse and other sexual acts."

A change in the name of freedom of expression, according to the new policy: "Sexual expression, whether visual or written, can be a legitimate form of artistic expression. We believe in the autonomy of adults to interact and create content that reflects their own beliefs, desires and experiences, including those related to sexuality. "While X has never waged war on sexual content (unlike Meta, which censors the tiniest bit of breast), it is now making its approach more explicit.

However, mindful of the dangers (or just to clear its conscience?), X also stated "We balance this freedom by limiting exposure to adult content for children or adult users who choose not to view it. We also prohibit content that promotes exploitation, non-consent, objectification, sexualization or harm to minors, as well as obscene behavior. We also don't allow adult content to be shared in highly visible places such as profile photos or banners."

Good luck, Elon Musk, betting on the "belief in adult autonomy" is a risky bet and probably won't be enough.

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Why this update?

Back in 2022, Twitter's management had already explored the possibility of allowing adult content creators to sell subscriptions within the app, as part of an eventual exploitation of OnlyFans content, which is very present in the app. Tapping into this market (estimated at $2.5 billion at the time) had been seen by the platform as a logical step towards making more money. But Twitter eventually abandoned the idea. But why? As The Verge reports: "Before the final go-ahead for the launch, Twitter brought together 84 employees to form a "red team". The aim was to "focus specifically on the conditions for implementing such a project in a safe and responsible way". After a few weeks of experimentation, the red team had come to the conclusion that,"Twitter could not safely allow adult creators to sell subscriptions because the company did not - and still does not - effectively control harmful sexual content on the platform."

Has Elon Musk's arrival changed things? Is X now in control? There's plenty of room for doubt. Indeed, as soon as he arrived, Musk fired 80% of the platform's moderation and security teams... One thing is certain, however: X needs money. Advertising revenues are still falling, and the launch of X Premium has not stemmed the losses. Under these conditions, will porn and sexual content be the future of X? As a reminder, in March 2024, X had tested an " adult content" setting for communities. A feature that allows users to create or join communities focused on "adult content" or other "not safe for work" content.

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