Pornhub Sued for Allegedly Publishing Nonconsensual Sex Clips of Women

Update 06/20/2021 1:17pm:

Previously, Pornhub was in headlines after the platform revealed they would be purging all unverified content. However, it seems their efforts may not have been enough, as they are now being sued by dozens of women who claim the platform allegedly published nonconsensual clips of them.

The civil suit was filed by Brown Rudnick LLP, and it was on behalf of 34 alleged plaintiffs who were victims of rape, human trafficking, and sexual exploitation. Minors are also included in the plaintiffs. The group in question being sued is Mindgeek, a parent company of Pornhub who reportedly has one of the largest online pornography companies.

Pornhub is among the sites and production companies owned by MindGeek, which also include YouPorn, RedTube, Tube8, and more. The allegations against the company allege that the brand knowingly profited from videos that featured non-consensual sex acts, rape, child sexual exploitation, and more.

The lawyer who is representing the victims—Michael Bowe, said MindGeek “has operated like an old-school red-light district of commerce where rules that do apply and should be applied haven't been applied." Pornhub issued a statement to CNN denying the allegations but noted they take “every complaint regarding the abuse of its platform seriously, including those of the plaintiffs in this case.” Stay tuned for more updates.

source: CNN

Update 12/14/2020 3:55pm:

Previously, MasterCard and Visa revealed that they were stopping their cards from being used on the Pornhub platform after an opinion column surfaced on the New York Times, noting that Pornhub allegedly allowed revenge porn, spy cams, rape videos, and more to be uploaded freely. Pornhub responded to claims by saying the situation was untrue. Now, news surfaced noting that Pornhub has officially purged all unverified content from their platform.

Pornhub made an official announcement that said, “As part of our policy to ban unverified uploaders, we have now also suspended all previously uploaded content that was not created by content partners or members of the Model Program. This means every piece of Pornhub content is from verified uploaders, a requirement that platforms like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Snapchat, and Twitter have yet to institute."

Pornhub noted they are removing videos pending review and verification of the content. The verification is set to start in 2021.

source: VICE

Original 12/12/2020 2:34pm:

Previously, it was noted that PayPal had pulled out of payment support for Pornhub models, a move that was a hit to models who constantly cashed out on the platform. Now, news surfaced noting Visa and MasterCard are reportedly prohibiting their cards from being used on the Pornhub platform.

News of this comes after an opinion column written by Nicholas Kristof of the New York Times made allegations saying Pornhub features non-consensual revenge porn videos. Kristof said, “site is infested with rape videos. It monetizes child rapes, revenge pornography, spy cam videos of women showering, racist and misogynist content, and footage of women being asphyxiated in plastic bags.”

Since then, Pornhub responded to the claims via the Associated Press and noted it’s “irresponsible and flagrantly untrue” to say the site allows sexual abuse imagery of children on their platform. MasterCard revealed this past Thursday they were ending the usage of their cards on Pornhub after conducting their own investigation due to “violations of standards prohibiting unlawful content on the site.” Stay tuned for more details.

source: CBS News

Original 11/16/2019 4:03pm:

Reports surfaced, noting that PayPal will no longer be offering payment support to those processing payments from Pornhub.

The company issued a statement saying, “Following a review, we have discovered that Pornhub has made certain business payments through PayPal without seeking our permission. We have taken action to stop these transactions from occurring.”

Pornhub issued a statement in response to the move by PayPal, saying they are devastated by the decision and that they will “continue to add more sex worker-friendly” options to get people paid, including crypto and more.

source: NY Daily News