Pornhub fined $5 million for child abuse and non-consensual videos

The owner of Pornhub, one of the world's most popular porn sites, will pay a $5 million fine for ignoring the publication of child sexual abuse videos. This was reported by the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and Utah authorities, writes The Washington Post.

The US regulator said that Aylo, which owns Pornhub and more than 100 other adult websites, deceived users by claiming to have "zero tolerance" for child exploitation.

In fact, the company did not check all the videos that users complained about and allowed repeated uploads from previously noticed violators.

According to the FTC, until December 2020, anyone could freely upload videos, and topics like "young girl" were even encouraged. Audits have shown tens of thousands of videos with and without consent.

As part of the agreement, Aylo has agreed to implement additional technical measures to block illegal content, verify the age and consent of all video participants, and undergo independent audits over the next ten years.

If the company violates the terms of the agreement, it will have to pay another $10 million.

The Utah authorities emphasized that child sex trafficking is "one of the most serious crimes" and that victims experience repeated trauma.

Aylo stated that it did not admit guilt, but has already strengthened moderation and introduced mandatory user verification since 2020. The company emphasized that it adheres to a "zero tolerance" policy for illegal content.

• In January, Reuters wrote that Visa and Mastercard accused of facilitating the proceeds of human trafficking on OnlyFans.
• In May, the European Commission has launched an investigation into Pornhub, Stripchat, XNXX, and XVideos due to alleged violations of the requirements for the protection of minors.