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Topline
Pornhub has suspended all videos on its site that were not uploaded by its content partners or verified models on its platform in a sweeping move that will lead to a significant chunk of content disappearing from the site just days after Mastercard and Visa stopped processing transactions with the adult video streaming sites over allegations that it hosted videos showing child sexual abuse and other illegal content.
Pornhub has removed all videos uploaded by unverified users from its site, purging a large portion … [+]
Key Facts
Pornhub will now only allow uploads from verified users, which includes adult film studios and verified models, the company said in a blog post.
Pornhub maintained that this is a stricter policy than the likes of YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, Twitter and other major social platforms.
Pornhub says it has taken down videos that had been uploaded by unverified users pending a verification and review process that will start in the new year.
This means that a significant chunk of content on the adult streaming site is going to disappear soon.
At present, suspended videos display a message saying that the video has been flagged for verification in accordance with the company’s “trust and safety policy.”
The content purge as of Monday morning had reduced the number of videos available on the site to 4.7 million from 13.5 million, according to Vice’s Motherboard.
Key Background
Earlier this month, New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof reported that Pornhub was monetizing videos featuring “child rapes, revenge pornography, spycam videos of women showering, racist and misogynist content, and footage of women being asphyxiated in plastic bags.” In his piece, Kristof cited instances of videos on the website featuring girls aged between 9 and 15 being sexually assaulted. Pornhub responded to the allegations by barring unverified users from uploading or downloading content from the site and promising to expand its moderation efforts. Despite the changes, Mastercard and Visa announced that they would stop processing payments for the site. Visa went a step further banning all transitions with sites owned by Pornhub’s parent company Mindgeek including Redtube, Youporn, XTube, and Brazzers. A group of bipartisan senators led by Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) also introduced a bill last week that would allow victims of crimes like revenge porn, sex trafficking and sexual assault the ability to sue sites like Pornhub for hosting illegal content depicting them.
Tangent
One of the major online campaigns calling for action against Pornhub, Traffickinghub, is backed by a Christian group called Exodus Cry that aims to abolish porn and opposes decriminalizing sex work, Vice reported in September. Following the recent actions by payment companies, various sex workers and adult film performers have expressed concern about losing their income and other smaller adult sites being targeted.
Further Reading
Mastercard, Visa Cut Off Pornhub Following Charges Of Illegal Content (Forbes)
Pornhub Just Purged All Unverified Content From the Platform (Motherboard)
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