Civitai Faces 950 Adverse Reactions Over New Content Guidelines
2min read Civitai, a platform known for its AI-generated art, has recently faced significant backlash from its user base following the implementation of new content guidelines in April 2025. These guidelines, which include stricter content restrictions and enhanced moderation, have sparked widespread dissatisfaction among creators and users alike. The new policies ban categories such as incest, self-harm, diaper, and various bodily excretions, and require all NSFW (Not Safe For Work) uploads to include metadata to remain visible. Additionally, a new moderation system aims to improve content tagging and safety.
While civitai was not explicitly a pornographic site, it did cater to several NSFW communities, including furries, adult-oriented anime, and extreme BDSM. The new rules have effectively banned content that was popular among certain user segments and have also limited monetization options for images featuring real people, particularly celebrities. Creators are frustrated by the sudden censorship, mysterious content removals, and the impact on their ability to earn revenue from their creations. Civitai’s announcement has garnered over 950 adverse reactions compared to 375 supporting votes, indicating the extent of user dissatisfaction.
Users have taken to platforms like reddit and X to express their frustration, with many lamenting the abrupt disappearance of their content and the lack of clear explanations. Dario Hernandez, a user of the platform, stated, "The characters in these generations don’t exist, don’t hurt anyone, and nobody should care about them." Another user, TitanUranus, wrote on Reddit, "Anyone else completely lost motivation to engage with Civitai and share models?" This sentiment reflects the broader community's irritation and loss of motivation.
Civitai has also introduced stricter guidelines around "Buzz," its virtual currency, making it more difficult for creators to earn revenue from their more controversial creations. Many users suspect that these policy changes are due to external pressures, particularly from payment giants like Visa and Mastercard, which have historically taken a hard line on adult content. Coupled with mounting legal concerns over AI-generated imagery, Civitai appears to be caught between the need to comply with payment processors and the desire to appease its creative but sometimes provocative community.
Alex Cardinel, CEO of AI platform Nomi, wrote in a Reddit post, "The issue is 100% caused by Visa, and any company that accepts Visa cards will eventually add these restrictions. There is currently no way around this, although I personally am working very hard on sustainable long-term alternatives." Civitai did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Ask Aime: "Will Civitai's strict new rules affect stock prices?"
In response to these changes, many users have taken proactive measures to protect their right to generate content and safeguard their LoRAs—small but highly personalized models trained on a specific concept or style. Panic-downloading has become a common practice, with communities like r/CivitaiArchives sprouting up to archive potentially endangered content. Others, frustrated with escalating costs and limited creative freedom, are shifting toward local AI generation tools. Some users advocate for sharing their LoRAs, models, and resources via torrents, while others are exploring alternative sites like TensorArt, DiffusionArc, and the Civitai Archive.
Despite understanding the necessity of compliance with external demands, users feel betrayed by the seemingly endless stream of restrictions. They fear that even mildly risqué content might be next on the chopping block. One user, SneakyStoat, complained, "It's always just one more screw tightened. ‘Oh, that's not that bad.’ Another screw tightens. Eventually, there's no screws left to tighten because the whole thing is dead from all the compounding regulations and censorship."
