Documents reveal that Pornhub faced obstacles in reviewing potential child sexual content.
Child Sexual Abuse Videos on Pornhub: A Shocking Revelation
Disturbing documents have emerged in a California lawsuit against MindGeek, the parent company of popular pornography streaming site Pornhub. These documents reveal that child sexual abuse videos had to be reported multiple times before content moderators would even consider reviewing them. The implications of this revelation are deeply troubling.
A Decade of Knowingly Distributing Child Sexual Abuse Material
The lawsuit alleges that MindGeek has knowingly received and distributed child sexual abuse material (CSAM) for over a decade, profiting from the heinous crime of child sex trafficking on its network of highly popular pornography websites.
Attempts to Evade Scrutiny
The uncovered emails from 2020 show conversations between MindGeek executives and senior personnel discussing how to respond to a Mastercard inquiry regarding suspected child pornography on the site. The CEO at the time, Feras Antoon, expressed frustration and concern about the potential consequences, stating, “This is very frustrating cuz imagine they are planning to shut us down.”
Insufficient Review Process
The emails also shed light on MindGeek’s inadequate review process. It was revealed that videos needed to receive more than 15 flags before they would even be considered for manual review. This meant that a significant number of videos, totaling 706,425, were not reviewed at all. Furthermore, there was only one person responsible for reviewing flagged content, working five days a week. This lack of attention to such a serious issue is deeply concerning.
Questionable Intentions
Discussions within MindGeek also revealed a potential motive for their lax approach to reviewing flagged content. The CEO and chief product officer debated implementing a threshold based on the percentage of views per video that were flagged. However, the CEO expressed concern that this approach might give the impression that they were intentionally profiting from popular videos containing objectionable content.
A Criminal Offense
Laila Mickelwait, founder and CEO of Justice Defense Fund and the Traffickinghub Movement, emphasized the gravity of the situation. She stated that the admissions from MindGeek’s owners regarding their knowledge and intentional allowance of criminal content on the site, including child abuse, could potentially lead to criminal prosecution. These actions are considered felony-level offenses in the United States.
A Disturbing Pattern
The revelations about Pornhub’s handling of CSAM are deeply troubling, especially when compared to other major platforms. While Facebook removed 12.2 million child exploitation images in 2020 and Twitter closed 264,000 accounts in just six months of 2019, Pornhub reported only 118 instances of CSAM in the preceding three years. This stark contrast raises serious questions about their commitment to combating this issue.
MindGeek’s Troubled Reputation
MindGeek is currently facing multiple lawsuits due to its involvement in these disturbing practices. In an attempt to salvage its tarnished image, Pornhub made changes in December 2020, reducing the number of available videos and altering the verification process for creators. However, critics argue that these changes are insufficient to address the underlying problem.
Alarming Direct Messages and Depositions
Further evidence of MindGeek’s questionable practices comes from direct messages and depositions from employees. These exchanges suggest that management deliberately ignored child pornography and did not enforce content rules. Such revelations only deepen the concerns surrounding MindGeek’s handling of CSAM.
A Call for Accountability
The gravity of the situation cannot be overstated. Victims have reported their abuse videos multiple times, only to see them reappear on the site. It is imperative that MindGeek faces the consequences of its actions, and that justice is served for the victims.
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