X is living up to its name. The platform, formerly Twitter, is working on an addition to its Communities feature that would let X users create groups for X-rated material, according to app researchers.<\/p>\n
Researcher Daniel Buchuk of Watchful<\/a>, which analyzes app development and performance, found the feature through reverse engineering the app. He shared screenshots with TechCrunch exclusively, which show what X\u2019s NSFW Communities could look like.<\/p>\n Image Credits:<\/strong> Watchful (opens in a new window)<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n An independent researcher, Nima Owji<\/a>, also spotted the feature in development last month.<\/p>\n Twitter introduced its Communities feature<\/a> in 2021. It allows users to post within smaller, interest-based subgroups, like a subreddit. When Elon Musk bought Twitter<\/a> last year, he enacted sweeping changes to the app\u2019s brand identity<\/a>, verification systems<\/a> and creator monetization<\/a> efforts \u2014 but some features, like Communities, remained stagnant.<\/p>\n X also hasn\u2019t taken much initiative in working with its sizable population of online sex workers<\/a>, who turn to the platform \u2014 one of few that allows adult content \u2014 to promote their paid offerings from sites like OnlyFans.<\/p>\n \u201cTwitter really is the primary advertising venue at this point for sex workers<\/a>,\u201d Dr. Olivia Snow, a dominatrix and researcher at UCLA\u2019s Center for Critical Internet Inquiry, told TechCrunch last year. So, the platform\u2019s more-lenient policy on adult content is critical for online sex workers to grow their businesses.<\/p>\n X did not reply to a request for comment.<\/p>\n Adult creators are allowed to post explicit content on X, though they can\u2019t monetize it on the platform. But if they can create their own fan communities, this feature could give creators a more direct way to reach their audience.<\/p>\n Even though X seems to be working on this NSFW Communities feature, that doesn\u2019t mean it\u2019ll come to fruition. Shortly after Musk took control of the platform, reverse engineers uncovered possible features that would allow creators to monetize paywalled videos or charge money for DMs. These mockups looked similar to features on OnlyFans, which could be a strategy for Musk to recoup his $44 billion investment: monetizing \u201cX videos.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n But as it stands, X doesn\u2019t seem poised to reverse its stance on adult content monetization. Even before Musk\u2019s takeover, Twitter had been working on an OnlyFans competitor<\/a>, but it was shelved because Twitter could not adequately detect non-consensual content and child sexual exploitation (CSE). But X says it\u2019s mitigating that dire problem. According to X CEO Linda Yaccarino, in 2023 the platform suspended 12.4 million accounts<\/a> for violating child sexual exploitation policies, up from 2.3 million accounts removed in 2022.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/X_NSFW.jpg?w=594\")
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