Document Hosting Service Scribd.com Bans Adult Content

SAN FRANCISCO — Adult webmasters, take notice: Online document hosting and sharing service Scribd.com wants all adult content off its servers.

The company made the announcement on its blog last week that they're updating its terms of service to ban adult content.

Scribd gave users a grace period to remove all adult content. That ends May 21.

"It's become clear that adult content is limiting Scribd's usefulness to educators, parents, students, and publishers — exactly the types of users that benefit the most from our site and services," Scribd officials wrote.

Scribd has gained a reputation in the Web 2.0 marketplace as the "YouTube of documents," offering free upload, hosting and embeddable sharing for files. The site also offers networking features and group functionality common to Web 2.0 sites.

As of today, adult content remains on the site in huge amounts, including at least 20,000 documents and more than 1,500 members.

Online guru Brandon Shalton told XBIZ he doubted Scribd's ban would inconvenience many adult professionals because the site doesn't focus on hosting videos or images.

"You could make the case that erotic literature should be allowed on [Scribd]," said Shalton, who founded the traffic analysis service T3Report.com. "But if they have their terms to not allow that, that just opens the opportunity for some entrepreneur to come along and do the same model, but for adult text only."

Scribd's competitors include Edocr.com and DocStoc.com, neither of which allows adult content.

Related:  

Copyright © 2025 Adnet Media. All Rights Reserved. XBIZ is a trademark of Adnet Media.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited.

More News

Pre-Nominations Now Open for 2026 TEAs

The pre-nomination period for the 2026 Trans Erotica Awards (TEAs) is now open.

FSC Releases Updated Age-Verification Toolkit

The Free Speech Coalition (FSC) has announced the release of its updated age verification toolkit.

Duke Tax Joins Pineapple Support as Supporter-Level Sponsor

Duke Tax has joined the ranks of over 70 adult businesses and organizations committing funds and resources to Pineapple Support.

UK Moving Ahead with Plan to Outlaw 'Choking' Content

The U.K. government has announced its intent to follow through on criminalizing “choking” content, a plan that was announced earlier this year.

Italy to Require Age Verification for Adult Sites

Italian media regulator AGCOM has announced that all sites and platforms hosting adult content will be required to implement age verification systems starting Nov. 12 to prevent access by users under 18.

'MILFlicious' Launches Through YourPaysitePartner

MILFlicious.com has officially launched through YourPaysitePartner (YPP).

Op-Ed: The Guardian's XBIZ Amsterdam Podcast Dismisses Creators' Experiences

British newspaper The Guardian’s podcast coverage of XBIZ Amsterdam 2025 purports to investigate the power dynamics of today’s online adult industry. Instead, it ignores creators’ voices, airs tired and outdated preconceptions about the business, and rehashes the unsupported claims of anti-pornography crusaders.

Eva Maxim, BranditScan Launch 'Killer' Promo

Eva Maxim and BranditScan have partnered for the Killer Creator Giveaway promotion.

2026 XBIZ Exec Awards Nominees for Online Industry Announced

XBIZ is pleased to announce the nominees for the online industry edition of the 2026 XBIZ Exec Awards, set to be presented as part of the annual XBIZ Honors ceremony on Wednesday, Jan. 14 in conjunction with the XBIZ 2026 digital media conference.

AEBN Publishes Report on POV Trends

AEBN has published a report on POV and gonzo categories from its straight and gay theaters.

Show More