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Passes, a direct-to-fan monetization platform for creators backed by $40 million in Series A<\/a> funding, has been sued for allegedly distributing Child Sexual Abuse Material (also known as CSAM). While its guidelines do not allow for creators to post nude photos or videos, as opposed to competitors like OnlyFans, a creator has sued<\/a> Passes, alleging that the company produced, possessed, and sold sexually explicit content featuring her when she was a minor.<\/p>\n The lawsuit, filed by creator Alice Rosenblum, was first reported by The Information<\/a>.<\/p>\n In addition to the company itself, the lawsuit was brought against Alec Celestin and Lani Ginoza \u2014 two individuals who are described in the lawsuit as \u201cagents\u201d for Passes \u2014 as well as Passes founder and CEO Lucy Guo. <\/p>\n Rosenblum claims that each defendant was aware both that she was a minor and that the company allegedly possessed sexually explicit content of her.<\/p>\n Passes stated that Guo had no involvement and told TechCrunch that there is \u201cno record or recollection\u201d of Guo interacting with Rosenblum.<\/p>\n Regardless of the lawsuit\u2019s outcome, the case highlights questions about how fan platforms can be used to distribute illegal content. <\/p>\n \u201cThe lawsuit\u2019s claim that Passes knowingly courted content creators for the purpose of posting inappropriate material is completely and utterly false,\u201d a Passes spokesperson told TechCrunch in a statement. \u201cWe cannot state this position more firmly. To the extent there was misconduct here, it lies with the plaintiff\u2019s talent manager, Alec Celestin.\u201d<\/p>\n Celestin did not respond to TechCrunch\u2019s request for comment.<\/p>\n Rosenblum alleges that Celestin \u2014 formerly director of Brand & Community at Fanfix, a similar creator platform \u2014 groomed her and directed her to take explicit photos and videos of herself when she was seventeen. In the days leading up to her birthday this past September, Rosenblum claims that Celestin approached her with ideas for an 18th birthday marketing campaign to promote the explicit images she alleges she created as a minor.<\/p>\n Rosenblum further alleges that Guo intervened to personally override safety measures within Passes that she claims would have flagged her content as CSAM. A Passes spokesperson has denied this allegation.<\/p>\n While Rosenblum\u2019s lawsuit describes Celestin as an \u201cagent\u201d working with Passes, the company told TechCrunch that Celestin is \u201ca former social media contractor who has gone to great lengths to embellish his relationship with our company.\u201d<\/p>\n Celestin has appeared in Instagram posts<\/a> alongside Guo, including photos celebrating<\/a> milestones in Passes\u2019 development.<\/p>\n Celestin has also been linked with Passes in a lawsuit<\/a> from January 2024, in which Celestin\u2019s former employer, Fanfix, accused him of sharing company secrets with Passes. At the time, Guo denied that claim.<\/p>\n \u201cPasses is a no-nudity platform,\u201d the company told TechCrunch. \u201cThe claim that Passes would knowingly assist in distributing sexually explicit images \u2014 days before a creator\u2019s 18th<\/sup>\u00a0birthday, no less \u2014 is both defamatory and makes no sense.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n The company is not marketed as an OnlyFans rival, instead working with mainstream celebrities such as NBA legend Shaquille O\u2019Neal, NCAA gymnast Olivia Dunne, and record producer Kygo.<\/p>\n In a blog post from December, Passes stated<\/a> that it strictly prohibits explicit content and uses automated content moderation tools as a first defense to scan for violative posts. (AI is an area of expertise for Guo, who co-founded the unicorn Scale AI<\/a>). According to Passes, it employs a trust and safety team to review flagged content and determine compliance with company guidelines.<\/p>\n \u201cThe plaintiff and her manager, Alec Celestin, ultimately moved to OnlyFans because [Rosenblum\u2019s] content kept getting flagged on our platform,\u201d Passes told TechCrunch.<\/p>\n Passes says it uses the industry-standard tool Microsoft PhotoDNA to automatically scan all images for CSAM, which would then be reported to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC), as is typical protocol for online platforms. In its December post<\/a>, Passes stated that Microsoft PhotoDNA had not flagged any instances of CSAM on the platform.<\/p>\n \u201cMs. Rosenblum looks forward to obtaining justice for herself and other victims like her from all defendants,\u201d said Rodney Villazor, a lawyer representing Rosenblum. \u201cEach defendant will have to answer for his or her own actions in court, not on social media.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n