Pornhub Removes 10 Million-Plus Videos After Scathing NYT Rebuke
By Movieguide® Staff
Significant changes already took place days after Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Nicholas Kristof exposed Pornhub for its exploitation and abuse of underage children.
The scathing New York Times article made waves. It brought awareness and a voice to those already fighting the global criminal sex industry. Support exploded for the Traffickinghub movement founded by Laila Mickelwait and powered by Exodus Cry.
Exodus Cry said:
Since our February 9 op-ed in the Washington Examiner, the Traffickinghub campaign has been blowing the whistle on the infestation of rape and child sexual abuse material on Pornhub. The original article, penned by Exodus Cry’s Director of Abolition, Laila Mickelwait, kicked off the Traffickinghub campaign. This unifying cause to end overt criminal sexual exploitation on the world’s largest porn site has drawn the support of over 2.1 million petition signers from 192 countries.
Pornhub conceded to make the unprecedented decision to remove 10 million unverified videos. According to Exodus Cry, this is equal to almost 75% of its video collection, making it one of the most significant breakthroughs in the fight against illegal porn.
In addition, Visa and Mastercard began investigations of their financial links to MindGeek, the parent company of Pornhub, which resulted in the termination of the payment methods from Pornhub’s site.
“I don’t see why search engines, banks or credit card companies should bolster a company that monetizes sexual assaults on children or unconscious women. If PayPal can suspend cooperation with Pornhub, so can American Express, Mastercard and Visa,” Kristof said in his original report.
Visa, which works deals with nearly $12 trillion in a year, said in a statement: “If the site is identified as not complying with applicable laws or the financial institutions’ acceptable use policies and underwriting standards, they will no longer be able to accept Visa payments.”
Mastercard echoed this claim and said: “If the claims are substantiated, we will take immediate action. When we identify illegal activity, our policy is to ask the acquirer to terminate the relationship, unless an effective compliance plan is put in place.”
After these brief announcements, investigations led to another significant win for media accountability and the safety of children worldwide, as Visa and Mastercard officially terminated the use of their cards on Pornhub.
As Movieguide® previously reported, although these are important victories in the fight against redeeming the media and protecting children, there is still work to be done.
