How can a user submit a formal data deletion request to OnlyFans under GDPR or CCPA?
Executive summary
OnlyFans’ published privacy information affirms that users may request access, correction, and deletion (erasure) of personal data — rights that map to GDPR Article 17 — and provides contact channels for specific data types such as face‑recognition data (contact emails shown in their policy) [1]. Under GDPR, platforms generally must respond within one calendar month (with a possible two‑month extension for complex requests), and independent guides and watchdog reporting reiterate that OnlyFans should follow the same timeline and escalation path to regulators like the ICO if needed [2].
1. What legal rights apply and when
OnlyFans’ policy explicitly lists the “Request deletion / erasure of your Personal Data” right and notes users may ask for removal where there is no legitimate reason to continue processing (a core GDPR principle) [1]. External summaries and consumer guides reiterate that EU/UK users can invoke the GDPR “Right to Erasure” and that OnlyFans must comply within one calendar month unless it validly extends the deadline by up to two months [2]. Public transparency reporting shows OnlyFans receives hundreds of GDPR‑related requests, indicating established operational channels for these claims [3] [4].
2. Practical step‑by‑step to submit a GDPR deletion request
Start by using OnlyFans’ formal privacy channels: the company’s privacy page lists data‑subject rights including deletion and gives a contact for specific biometric data requests (face recognition) [1]. Consumer guides recommend emailing OnlyFans’ privacy address (commonly cited as privacy@onlyfans.com in secondary guides) to invoke Article 17 and to request full erasure once the account is deactivated [5] [6]. Supplement the email with verifiable identity (match the account’s email, include account ID, explain the precise request), note the legal basis (GDPR – Right to Erasure / Article 17), and ask for a confirmation and a date by which remediation will be completed; OnlyFans should respond within one calendar month and must inform you if it needs up to two more months and why [2].
3. Verification, third‑party requests and required proofs
OnlyFans’ policy warns that if a deletion request is made by an authorised third party it will require proof of authority (signed document or power of attorney), and it will require identity verification to prevent fraudulent deletions [1]. Guides also note that users can download a copy of their data before deletion using OnlyFans’ data‑export features, which is useful to preserve content or transaction records before erasure [7].
4. Caution: legal exceptions, backups, and age‑verification records
OnlyFans’ policy and industry analysis make clear there are lawful limits: deletion may be refused or partially limited for legal reasons (for example, retention for law‑enforcement requests, tax, fraud prevention or other regulatory obligations), and some records (notably age/identity verification) may have mandated retention periods that cannot be wiped while the creator remains active [1] [7]. Third‑party commentary and privacy‑policy excerpts also stress that data may persist in backups or be shared with payment processors and hosting partners, meaning full immediate removal across all copies is not guaranteed [8] [7].
5. If OnlyFans delays, disputes or denies the request
If the platform fails to comply within the statutory period or gives an unsatisfactory answer, UK/EU residents are advised to first lodge an internal complaint with OnlyFans and then escalate to the relevant data protection authority (for example the ICO in the UK), as explained in consumer guidance on GDPR enforcement timelines [2]. Transparency reports demonstrate OnlyFans processes many such requests, which suggests filing a regulator complaint is a recognized escalation route [3].
6. What the reporting does not fully answer (and how to proceed)
Public sources provided do not fully document a definitive CCPA‑specific submission workflow for California residents in OnlyFans’ own policy excerpts here, so direct confirmation of an explicit CCPA portal or form is not available in these documents; therefore California users should use the same privacy contact channel and explicitly cite CCPA rights in their request while retaining proof of identity and residence [1] [5]. Also, details on exact retention durations for every category of data after deletion requests vary by jurisdiction and are not exhaustively published in the cited material, so users should request a written retention schedule as part of their erasure request [8] [7].