In case you missed it, last week was a whirlwind of some of the biggest victories in our quest for a world free from sexual abuse and exploitation! Pornhub and its parent company MindGeek continue to crumble before our eyes as the world wakes up to the harmful practices of these online titans of exploitation.
After the cataclysmic reveal that Pornhub not only hosted and profited from scenes of real-life rape, violence, child sexual abuse material, and more—even actively refusing to remove such instances of abuse—the Canadian Parliament took action and began to investigate Canadian-based company MindGeek.
It wasn’t just Canadian Parliament that began to look further into MindGeek and Pornhub’s exploitation and abuse.
Dismantling the Pillars of MindGeek’s Platform
- Major credit card companies pulled their payments off the affiliated websites, hundreds of survivors and experts called for further investigation.
- Hundreds of survivors and experts called for further investigation.
- NCOSE hosted a briefing for over 70 members of US Congress calling for criminal investigation.
- Several lawsuits were filed against MindGeek on behalf of survivors.
- Another major company, Comcast, cut ties with the sexual abuse giant MindGeek by removing all content owned by MindGeek from its cable systems.
This mounting public pressure pushed MindGeek to remove 11,000,000 unverified videos and is pushing them to try to sell the company as quick as possible.
Given the way MindGeek and Pornhub continue to evade criminal accountability, it is more important than ever to continue the fight!
Canadian Parliament Releases a Breaking Report
We are overjoyed to announce that the Canadian Parliamentary Committee on Information, Privacy, and Ethics just issued a breaking report, titled “Ensuring the Protection of Privacy and Reputation on Platforms Such as Pornhub” after months of heartbreaking testimony from survivors of online exploitation, hearing experts testify to the dangers of online pornography and child sexual abuse material, and working directly with the Canadian government.
The report calls for sweeping changes to the government and Canadian law enforcement that will transform the pornography industry considerably! You can read the entire report here, but here are just a few of the most important findings:
- Liability: the Committee recommended the Canadian government explore means to hold these online companies accountable for failing to prevent the upload of non-consensual or child sexual abuse material with strict penalties.
- Duty to verify age and consent: all content-hosting websites must require confirmation of not only age of people being depicted in the content, but also consent of each person must be verified.
- Mandatory reporting: in light of the harrowing testimony of survivors and child protection agencies, the Committee recommended changes to their mandatory reporting laws regarding CSAM, including allocating better resources and funds to organizations fighting this material online.
- Legal framework to hold Internet Service Providers accountable: the Committee recommended the development of a legal framework which would hold Internet Service Providers who host pornographic content to certain standards and obligations, which include:
- Implement and use available tools to combat the flagrant and relentless re-uploading of illegal content
- Hire, train, and effectively supervise staff to carry out moderation and content removal tasks at an appropriate scale
- Maintain detailed records of user reports and responses that can be audited by authorities
- Be legally accountable for content moderation and removal decisions and the harm to individuals that results when efforts are inadequate
- Build in and design features that prioritize the best interests and privacy rights of children and vulnerable adults
These changes and recommendations are powerful statements against the exploitation and abuse allowed to continue for far too long on these websites. We are watching the online exploitation industry crumble and transform before our eyes!
7th Lawsuit Filed Against MindGeek
And if the illuminating report wasn’t enough to celebrate, yet another lawsuit was filed last week representing 30 survivors of child sexual abuse and sex trafficking who had their trauma filmed and uploaded to Pornhub, making it the 7th official lawsuit against this abusive and degrading company. We commend these brave survivors for taking a stand against MindGeek and using their stories to demand change and ensure a better future for others. This lawsuit also names Visa as a defendant for knowingly profiting from this abuse.
While we celebrate these incredible victories, every moment this abusive and dangerous company is not held criminally accountable is a day of justice lost for survivors. Every moment the executives of MindGeek and Pornhub walk free is another slap in the face to these brave survivors of sexual exploitation.
MindGeek Must Be Held to Full Account
NCOSE will not stop until these websites are held fully accountable under the law—and the online pornography industry is shut down for good.
Do you want to see Pornhub and MindGeek (and other sites like it) shut down and held accountable for their crimes?
We need your help keeping the momentum against these online criminal enterprises going!
June 30th is our fiscal year end, and every dollar donated will be matched. Now more than ever we need your compassion and generosity. Please consider donating today to contribute to a world free from all forms of sexual abuse and exploitation. Donate to the match here!
After you give what you can give, go take action against other mainstream corporate partners of Pornhub, like Roku and Discord here.
