Washington, DC (November 3, 2021) – The National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE) called Roku’s decision to shut down its Pornhub channel, and other hardcore pornography channels, in March 2022 a “victory for survivors of sexual exploitation.”
“Roku’s decision to remove Pornhub and other exploitative pornography channels from its platform is a move that we and other international anti-exploitation groups and survivors have been calling on the company to make for years. No company should profit from child sexual abuse, rape, sex trafficking and other exploitive content on its platform and we are glad Roku is finally shutting down its partnership with Pornhub and the entire exploitation industry,” said Dawn Hawkins, CEO of the National Center on Sexual Exploitation.
For years, Roku has hosted hundreds of private channels for pornography platforms including Pornhub, which has come under fire for its failure to remove child sexual abuse, rape, sex trafficking, and non-consensual material. Numerous survivors have spoken out about their abuse being distributed on Pornhub and other pornography platforms, and systemic failures to remove nonconsensual content or otherwise meaningfully verify the age or consent of performers.
Roku was the only mainstream media company that allowed pornography on its platform and devices. In March 2021, NCOSE’s UK-based subsidiary, the International Centre on Sexual Exploitation, along with 41 survivors and advocates representing 12 countries, sent a letter to Roku CEO Anthony Wood to request that the company shut down the Pornhub channel and block any hosting or facilitation of MindGeek entities. NCOSE has been in communication with many of Roku’s shareholders throughout 2021.
“We are grateful that Roku heard the concerns of anti-exploitation advocates and countless survivors – this is a clear victory for survivors of exploitation,” Hawkins added. “Though Roku is not expressly admitting this is a reason for their change, they appear to be closing the loophole to pimps/pornographers while still allowing a way for other developers to use their platform. We call on Roku to ensure its upcoming Independent Developer Kit is not used to open that loophole once again.”
