Patreon Updates Its Community Guidelines: Cyberflashing, Phishing and AI Scraping Now Spelled Out
Patreon published an update to its Community Guidelines on October 19, 2026. Several changes are aimed squarely at how members behave, so if you support creators there, this one is about you as much as about them.
What happened
- According to Patreon's support page, the updated guidelines ban sexual harassment and cyberflashing, meaning sending unsolicited sexual images.
- They also address phishing, deceptive redirects and malware, the kind of links that try to steal your login or install something on your device.
- And they prohibit joining a creator's page to take her works and use them to train AI.
What it means for you as a fan
The message for members is simple: support creators, do not harass them. Unsolicited explicit pictures in messages are now named outright as a violation. The anti-phishing rules protect you too: be wary of any message, on or off Patreon, that pushes you to log in through an unfamiliar link. And if you were thinking of scraping a page to feed an AI model, Patreon now says plainly that this is not allowed.
FAQ
When did Patreon update its Community Guidelines?
The update was published on October 19, 2026.
Is cyberflashing banned on Patreon?
Yes. The guidelines ban sexual harassment and cyberflashing, meaning unsolicited sexual images.
Can members use creators' posts to train AI?
No. Joining to take creators' works to train AI is prohibited.
Do the rules cover scam links?
Yes. Phishing, deceptive redirects and malware are addressed.
