A creator has sued Passes, a direct-to-fan monetization platform backed by $40 million in Series A funding, alleging that the company distributed Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) featuring her when she was a minor. The lawsuit also targets Alec Celestin and Lani Ginoza, described as “agents” for Passes, along with Lucy Guo, the founder and CEO.
Rosenblum claims that each defendant was aware of her age and the company’s alleged possession of explicit content featuring her. Passes denies this, stating that Lucy Guo had no involvement and that any misconduct lies with Rosenblum’s talent manager, Celestin.
The lawsuit highlights concerns about fan platforms distributing illegal content. Passes’ CEO Lucy Guo stated that the platform uses automated tools to scan for CSAM and reported instances to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. The company claims it cannot distribute CSAM knowingly, contradicting Rosenblum’s allegations.
Rosenblum alleges that Celestin groomed her to create explicit content when she was 17 and directed her to take photos and videos as a marketing campaign before her 18th birthday. Guo allegedly intervened to override safety measures within Passes that would have flagged the content as CSAM.
The lawsuit is ongoing, with Rosenblum’s lawyer saying each defendant will answer for their actions in court, not on social media.
Source: https://techcrunch.com/2025/03/03/creator-monetization-platform-passes-sued-over-alleged-distribution-of-csam