By India McCarty
The Federal Trade Commission holds Pornhub accountable for misleading users about its efforts to block child sexual abuse material in a recent major settlement.
“The FTC settlement is a tremendous victory for sexual abuse survivors whose abuse material was ignored by Aylo/Pornhub,” Haley McNamara, Executive Director and Chief Strategy Officer at the National Center on Sexual Exploitation, said in a statement, referring to Pornhub’s parent company.
She continued, “Pornhub’s deceitful claims that its content was legal have been exposed and gives further evidence that Pornhub will do all it can to protect its profit model that has relied on child sexual abuse material, rape, sex trafficking, and other non-consensual content.”
Related: Pornhub Blocks Access to Site in Utah, Protests New Law Requiring Age Verification
The FTC and the Utah Department of Commerce’s Division of Consumer Protection “alleged that Aylo allowed videos and photos containing CSAM, or any visual depiction of sexually explicit conduct involving a person under 18 years old, and NCM, such as revenge porn and spy camera videos, to be present on its websites,” according to a post on the Utah Policy website.
“Pornhub’s operators turned a blind eye to the proliferation of videos depicting the sexual abuse of children on its sites so it could profit off this exploitation,” Christopher Mufarrige, Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection, said in a statement. “Under the order we’re announcing today, Pornhub’s operators will be required to take concrete steps to block this harmful content and ensure that those who appear in videos on their sites are consenting adults.”
The settlement includes a $5 million payment to the state of Utah, a suspended $15 million penalty and requirements to put content-safety measures in place, such as age and consent verification and enhanced data protections.
Additionally, an independent third party will conduct audits of the website every two years for the next 10 years, ensuring continuing accountability and compliance.
“Aylo has failed to protect children from abuse and exploitation, distributing child sexual abuse material to millions. The victims behind these horrific videos and photos have endured unimaginable abuse at the hands of predators, and Aylo profited from it,” Utah Attorney General Derek Brown said. “Today, we send a clear, unequivocal message: If you profit from child sexual abuse material or any other non-consensual sexual material, you will be held accountable here in Utah. We will be relentless in pursuing justice for these children.”
This settlement is a landmark win in the fight against the spread of CSAM and other harmful sexual content online.
Read Next: Age Verification Law Cuts Pornhub Usage in Half
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