After years of tireless advocacy, evidence-gathering, and survivor action, Pornhub is finally being held to account by the federal government. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has taken action against Pornhub’s parent company, Aylo—and we couldn’t be more thrilled.
The National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE) has been sounding the alarm about Pornhub’s dangerous practices for years, in partnership with powerful allies like Laila Mickelwait and, most importantly, brave survivors who came forward to share their stories. Today, we celebrate this as a monumental victory and a vindication for the countless survivors who have courageously stepped forward to expose the truth about Pornhub’s nefarious practice.
The FTC’s Allegations Echo what Survivors and Advocates Have Been Saying All Along
The FTC, in partnership with the state of Utah, has charged Aylo with deceiving users about their efforts to prevent child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and image-based sexual abuse (IBSA; called “nonconsensual sexual content” in the FTC’s press release) on their platforms. Despite Pornhub’s public claims of “zero tolerance” for such content, the reality was devastatingly different.
The FTC’s allegations track with what NCOSE, survivors, and advocates have been saying for years. They point to how Aylo allowed CSAM and IBSA on Pornhub and their other pornography tube sites by:
- Allowing anyone to upload pornographic content
- Encouraging content with themes like “young girl” and “schoolgirl”, and titles such as “Brunette girl was raped”, “less than 18”, “the best collection of young boys”
- Failing to maintain paperwork required by federal law to verify the age and identity of individuals depicted in some of their videos
- In spite of promises to review reports quickly, having a policy that they would not review content flagged as CSAM or IBSA until it received at least 16 flags.
- Failing to conduct audits of CSAM and IBSA on their sites until they faced financial pressure from credit card companies—at which point, their audits revealed tens of thousands of CSAM and IBSA videos. Even then, Aylo frequently overruled attempts from its compliance team to remove CSAM and IBSA.
- Deceiving individuals depicted in the content, as well as other users, about their privacy and data security.
Proposed Penalties and Requirements for Pornhub
The proposed settlement for the FTC and Utah’s allegations against Pornhub requires Aylo to pay a $15 million penalty. It also mandates that they take several key actions to promote safety; some of these actions track perfectly with what NCOSE has been calling for for years, both in the private sector and through legislation like The Protect Act. They include:
- Age & Consent Verification: Aylo must implement a system to verify that individuals depicted in content are of age and have given consent
- Prevention Programs: Aylo must implement robust systems to prevent CSAM and IBSA from appearing on their sites.
- Content Removal Requirements: All existing unverified content must be removed until proper age and consent verification can be completed and the prevention program is implemented.
- Notify Users: Aylo must post a notice on its website informing users about the FTC’s and Utah’s allegations and the details of the proposed settlement
- Enhanced Security Measures: Aylo must implement a comprehensive privacy and data security programs to protect user information, including the information of those depicted in content
The FTC and Utah have filed their complaint in the U.S. District Court for the District Court of Utah. If the District Court judge approves and signs the order, all the above requirements will have the force of law.
A Victory for All of Us
This FTC action represents more than just accountability for one company. It sends a powerful message to the entire pornography industry that exploitation will not be tolerated, and it validates the experiences of every survivor who has been told their story doesn’t matter.
Most importantly, this victory proves that when we stand together, we can take on billion-dollar industries that profit from exploitation, and win.
The FTC Commissioner himself noted that the passage of the Take It Down Act strengthened their resolve to address Pornhub. (The Take It Down Act was a significant victory championed by NCOSE and other advocates, which makes it a federal crime to publish or distribute non-consensual sexually explicit material, including AI-generated “deepfakes,” and importantly requires online platforms to remove such content within 48 hours of a victim’s notice.)
This is exactly the kind of cultural and political momentum that NCOSE works to generate. By advancing federal legislation on image-based sexual abuse and consistently advocating for concrete policy solutions, NCOSE not only drives legal reform but also signals to regulators like the FTC that this issue is urgent, systemic, and must be acted on.
Your support and advocacy are vital to this movement and helped lead to this victory.
Thank you for being part of this world-changing movement!
