Feature Articles
Gregory Dorcel on Building Upon His Brand's Signature Legacy
“Whether reflected in the storyline or the cast or even the locations, the entertainment we deliver is based on fantasy,” he elaborates. “Our business is not, and never has been, reality. People who are buying our content aren’t expecting reality, or direct contact with stars like you can have with OnlyFans,” he says.
How to Turn Card Brand Compliance Into Effective Marketing
In the adult sector, compliance is often treated as a gauntlet of mandatory checkboxes. While it’s true that those boxes need to be ticked and regulations must be followed, sites that view compliance strictly as a chore risk missing out on a bigger opportunity.
A Look at the Latest AI Tools for Online Safety
One of the defining challenges for adult businesses is helping to combat the proliferation of illegal or nonconsensual content, as well as preventing minors from accessing inappropriate or harmful material — all the more so because companies or sites unable or unwilling to do so may expose themselves to significant penalties and put their users at risk.
Know When to Drop Domains You Don't Need
Do you own too many domains? If so, you’re not alone. Like other things we accumulate, every registered domain means something to us. Sometimes a domain represents a dream project we have always wanted to do but have never quite gotten around to.
Understanding 'Indemnification' in Business Contracts
Clients frequently tell me that they didn’t understand — or sometimes, even read — certain portions of a contract because those sections appeared to be just “standard legalese.” They are referring, of course, to the specialized language used in legal documents, including contracts.
5 Steps to Make Card Brand Compliance Easy
It’s February, the month of love. Just once, wouldn’t it be great to receive a little candy heart asking you to “Be Mine” instead of more forms to fill out and documents to submit? Of course, regulatory compliance does have one important thing in common with romance: Fail to put in the work, and your relationship is likely over — your relationship with the card brands, that is.
Protecting Your Business With a Data Backup Strategy That Works
If the subject of backups sounds boring to you, maybe this will grab your attention: Without properly implemented backups, your business is vulnerable to partial or even catastrophic data loss, which could screw your company and tank your income.
WIA Profile: Paulita Pappel
Raised in Spain, surrounded by a predominantly Catholic community, Paulita Pappel grew up being told porn was bad. When she became a feminist, she was told her fascination with porn was not in line with her desire to empower women. This inner conflict made her feel like there was something wrong with her.
Complying With New Age Assurance and Content Moderation Standards
For adult companies operating in today’s increasingly regulated digital landscape, maintaining compliance with card brand requirements is essential — not only to safeguard your operations but also to ensure a safe and transparent environment for users.
Understanding the FTC's New 'Click to Cancel' Rule
The Federal Trade Commission’s new “Click to Cancel” rule has been a hot topic in consumer protection and business regulation. Part of a broader effort to streamline cancellation processes for subscription services, the rule has sparked significant debate and legal challenges.
Key Factors for Choosing a Merchant Services Partner
Running a successful adult business requires more than just delivering alluring and cutting-edge products and services. Securing the right payment processing partner is essential to maintaining a steady revenue stream.
Identifying and Preventing Transaction Laundering
Recently, a few merchants approached me after receiving compliance notifications from their acquirer about transaction laundering. They were unsure what it meant, and unsure how to identify and fix the problem.
WIA: Alexis Fawx Levels Up as Multifaceted Entrepreneur
As more performers look to diversify, expanding their range of revenue streams and promotional vehicles, some are spreading their entrepreneurial wings to create new businesses — including Alexis Fawx.
Navigating Age-Related Regulations in Europe
Age verification measures are rapidly gaining momentum across Europe, with regulators stepping up efforts to protect children online. Recently, the U.K.’s communications regulator, Ofcom, updated its timeline for implementing the Online Safety Act, while France’s ARCOM has released technical guidance detailing age verification standards.
Why Cyber Insurance Is Crucial for Adult Businesses
From streaming services and interactive platforms to ecommerce and virtual reality experiences, the adult industry has long stood at the forefront of online innovation. However, the same technology-forward approach that has enabled adult businesses to deliver unique and personalized content to consumers worldwide also exposes them to myriad risks.
Best Practices for Payment Gateway Security
Securing digital payment transactions is critical for all businesses, but especially those in high-risk industries. Payment gateways are a core component of the digital payment ecosystem, and therefore must follow best practices to keep customer data safe.
Ready for New Visa Acquirer Changes?
Next spring, Visa will roll out the U.S. version of its new Visa Acquirer Monitoring Program (VAMP), which goes into effect April 1, 2025. This follows Visa Europe, which rolled out VAMP back in June. VAMP charts a new path for acquirers to manage fraud and chargeback ratios.
How to Halt Hackers as Fraud Attacks Rise
For hackers, it’s often a game of trial and error. Bad actors will perform enumeration and account testing, repeating the same test on a system to look for vulnerabilities — and if you are not equipped with the proper tools, your merchant account could be the next target.
VerifyMy Seeks to Provide Frictionless Online Safety, Compliance Solutions
Before founding VerifyMy, Ryan Shaw was simply looking for an age verification solution for his previous business. The ones he found, however, were too expensive, too difficult to integrate with, or failed to take into account the needs of either the businesses implementing them or the end users who would be required to interact with them.
How Adult Website Operators Can Cash in on the 'Interchange' Class Action
The Payment Card Interchange Fee Settlement resulted from a landmark antitrust lawsuit involving Visa, Mastercard and several major banks. The case centered around the interchange fees charged to merchants for processing credit and debit card transactions. These fees are set by card networks and are paid by merchants to the banks that issue the cards.