A mid-year update from our Policy team

We’re fresh off of celebrating the second anniversary of the Creator Policy Engagement Program (CPEP), which we built to educate and involve creators in our policymaking and has seen remarkable growth. Today we’re delighted to provide you with updates on new policy initiatives, highlight themes from recent creator feedback, and extend an invitation to remain an active part of the conversation.

Advancements in AI-Related Policies

Earlier this year, to help guide our policy development, we asked you about the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on your work. We heard from over 3,300 creators who covered everything from sharing how they’re using AI to make their workflows more efficient, to those interested in safeguarding intellectual property. With creators’ thoughts in mind, we’ve made our first AI-related additions to our Community Guidelines, which are now live:

• We clarified that we don’t allow human pornography, regardless of how the works were created. In other words, AI- or computer-generated pornography that looks human or lifelike is not permitted.
• We reinforced our zero tolerance policy against depictions of sexualized minors by extending this policy to also include any such depictions that are AI- or computer-generated.
• We strengthened our policies around authentic behavior by defining deepfakes and giving guidance for the types we will not allow, including:
  • Deepfakes that intimidate, bully, or harass someone, encourage violence against them, or harm their reputation.
  • Deepfakes that place an individual in a sexualized context they weren’t a part of.
  • Deepfakes of public figures that fraudulently portray the person as endorsing products, scams, merchandise and so forth. It is permitted, however, to incorporate public figures into satirical or parodic deepfakes or for social or political commentary.

AI is still rapidly evolving and will continue to disrupt industries like the creator economy. We appreciate the robust dialogue with you, creators, and will continue to seek your insights and input for any additional policies we are considering in this space. Read on to learn how you can stay engaged in helping to shape our guidelines.

Age and ID Verification for Adult/18+ Creators

We've successfully verified tens of thousands of Adult/18+ creators over the past few months. Over the next several weeks, all Adult/18+ creators with government-issued IDs will be able to begin the process proactively. Completing the verification process unlocks access to new product features, beginning with free trials, which allow you to offer potential paid members a seven-day trial before they are billed for their membership.

In response to your feedback around inclusivity, we're also preparing to accept alternative (non-government-issued) forms of ID, which will roll out in the coming weeks. For creators who need or prefer this route, there’s no action required immediately. Keep an eye out for an email from us with next steps for pursuing this path, and rest assured that your accounts will not face any restrictions in the interim.

Staying engaged

As with each Creator Policy Engagement Program update, we’re opening up a dedicated channel in the Patreon Creator Community Discord server for one week to answer questions and hear your thoughts. The #policy-live-qa channel will be open until 12 p.m. Pacific Time on Friday, September 8th. Also, you can always connect with us via email ([email protected]) or sign up for our office hours.

Our policy team is always working to improve our guidelines with your needs in mind, and your input plays a pivotal role in shaping our approach. Keep an eye out for more chances to engage in policy discussions later this year, including our next policy livestream. Until then, creators, stay safe, and we look forward to hearing from you.