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Mindgeek (the parent company of many of the most popular porn sites, including Pornhub) has recently been making a lot of claims to defend themselves over countless reports of them hosting nonconsensual content & child sexual abuse material.
So we fact-checked them...
So we fact-checked them...
Claim: Mindgeek does not profit from nonconsensual or underage content.
Fact check: roughly 50 percent of Mindgeek’s revenues come from advertisements on their sites, and as has been reported in the past, ads are often present next to abusive content.
Fact check: roughly 50 percent of Mindgeek’s revenues come from advertisements on their sites, and as has been reported in the past, ads are often present next to abusive content.
Claim: Nonconsensual content is against Pornhub’s business model.
Fact check: With each video upload, the site will likely profit as it increases the # of pages where ads can be run. And remember, they did not verify age or consent.
Fact check: With each video upload, the site will likely profit as it increases the # of pages where ads can be run. And remember, they did not verify age or consent.
Claim: When content is removed, it cannot be re-uploaded.
Fact check: Until recently, anyone could download videos from Pornhub, which videos could be easily re-uploaded. An investigation by VICE also revealed Mindgeek's fingerprinting tech to "prevent re-uploads" doesn't work.
Fact check: Until recently, anyone could download videos from Pornhub, which videos could be easily re-uploaded. An investigation by VICE also revealed Mindgeek's fingerprinting tech to "prevent re-uploads" doesn't work.
Claim: Every video is manually reviewed upon upload.
Fact check: By Pornhub's own estimates, 168 hours' worth of content is uploaded every hour, yet they reportedly employ only 80 content moderators. That would make it literally impossible.
Fact check: By Pornhub's own estimates, 168 hours' worth of content is uploaded every hour, yet they reportedly employ only 80 content moderators. That would make it literally impossible.
Claim: Pornhub moderators are told to err on the side of caution.
Fact check: This is directly contrary to a former Mindgeek employee turned whistleblower, who said the goal is to “let as much content as possible go through.”
Fact check: This is directly contrary to a former Mindgeek employee turned whistleblower, who said the goal is to “let as much content as possible go through.”
Claim: In porn, the search term “teen” does not mean underage, it actually refers to adults aged 18-27
Fact check: There are countless minors whose abuse has been uploaded to Mindgeek's sites. Plus, many "teen" videos are also tagged with "middle schooler" & underage indicators.
Fact check: There are countless minors whose abuse has been uploaded to Mindgeek's sites. Plus, many "teen" videos are also tagged with "middle schooler" & underage indicators.
Claim: Mindgeek is a tech leader in preventing and removing nonconsensual material
Fact check: reports indicate that despite confirmed cases of CSAM, Pornhub made exactly 0 reports to proper authorities in 2019, and only registered to report CSAM to the proper channels in 2020.
Fact check: reports indicate that despite confirmed cases of CSAM, Pornhub made exactly 0 reports to proper authorities in 2019, and only registered to report CSAM to the proper channels in 2020.
Claim: There is “zero child sexual abuse material” on any Mindgeek site
Fact check: It is nearly impossible to guarantee that any porn site is free of CSAM or non-consensual content. Given that Mindgeek doesn't have a history of verifying age or consent, this is highly unlikely.
Fact check: It is nearly impossible to guarantee that any porn site is free of CSAM or non-consensual content. Given that Mindgeek doesn't have a history of verifying age or consent, this is highly unlikely.
Although Mindgeek executives have repeatedly claimed that they are dedicated to the safety of victims, they also have a rich history of outright ignoring them—even when those victims are begging for their videos to be removed.
While Mindgeek has made dramatic changes since facing the wave of criticism that began a few months ago, it remains apparent that the company is unwilling to accept responsibility for the part they have played in many abuses that have severely impacted the lives of victims.
