Passes, a direct-to-fan monetization platform for creators backed by $40 million in Series 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 Passes, alleging that the company produced, possessed, and sold sexually explicit content featuring her when she was a minor.
The lawsuit, filed by creator Alice Rosenblum, was first reported by The Information.
In addition to the company itself, the lawsuit was brought against Alec Celestin and Lani Ginoza — two individuals who are described in the lawsuit as “agents” for Passes — as well as Passes founder and CEO Lucy Guo.
Rosenblum claims that each defendant was aware both that she was a minor and that the company allegedly possessed sexually explicit content of her.
Passes stated that Guo had no involvement and told TechCrunch that there is “no record or recollection” of Guo interacting with Rosenblum.
Regardless of the lawsuit’s outcome, the case highlights questions about how fan platforms can be used to distribute illegal content.
“The lawsuit’s claim that Passes knowingly courted content creators for the purpose of posting inappropriate material is completely and utterly false,” a Passes spokesperson told TechCrunch in a statement. “We cannot state this position more firmly. To the extent there was misconduct here, it lies with the plaintiff’s talent manager, Alec Celestin.”
Celestin did not respond to TechCrunch’s request for comment.
Rosenblum alleges that Celestin — formerly director of Brand & Community at Fanfix, a similar creator platform — 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.
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.
While Rosenblum’s lawsuit describes Celestin as an “agent” working with Passes, the company told TechCrunch that Celestin is “a former social media contractor who has gone to great lengths to embellish his relationship with our company.”
Celestin has appeared in Instagram posts alongside Guo, including photos celebrating milestones in Passes’ development.
Celestin has also been linked with Passes in a lawsuit from January 2024, in which Celestin’s former employer, Fanfix, accused him of sharing company secrets with Passes. At the time, Guo denied that claim.
“Passes is a no-nudity platform,” the company told TechCrunch. “The claim that Passes would knowingly assist in distributing sexually explicit images — days before a creator’s 18th birthday, no less — is both defamatory and makes no sense.”
The company is not marketed as an OnlyFans rival, instead working with mainstream celebrities such as NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal, NCAA gymnast Olivia Dunne, and record producer Kygo.
In a blog post from December, Passes stated 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). According to Passes, it employs a trust and safety team to review flagged content and determine compliance with company guidelines.
“The plaintiff and her manager, Alec Celestin, ultimately moved to OnlyFans because [Rosenblum’s] content kept getting flagged on our platform,” Passes told TechCrunch.
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, Passes stated that Microsoft PhotoDNA had not flagged any instances of CSAM on the platform.
“Ms. Rosenblum looks forward to obtaining justice for herself and other victims like her from all defendants,” said Rodney Villazor, a lawyer representing Rosenblum. “Each defendant will have to answer for his or her own actions in court, not on social media.”
