WebGroup Czech Republic (WGCZ), the shadowy corporate entity behind XVideos (the world’s most frequently visited pornography website with over 3 billion monthly visits), has been hit with a class action lawsuit brought by the National Center on Sexual Exploitation Law Center and an accomplished assembly of survivor-focused and commercial litigation law firms, on behalf of child sex trafficking survivors. Videos and images of these survivors—child sexual abuse material—were distributed via and monetized on multiple WGCZ products, including but not limited to XVideos.
Here’s what you need to know about the lawsuit against WGCZ and XVideos as well as information on how you can help hold them accountable for facilitating these crimes.
What happened to the plaintiff who is suing WebGroup Czech Republic (WGCZ) and XVideos?
As a child, Jane Doe was trafficked and sold for sex. Many of these sex acts were recorded on video and uploaded to the XVideos website. At least four videos that included Jane Doe being trafficked as a minor have been identified on WGCZ sites. At least one “content partner” and official “channel” on XVideos disseminated these illegal videos of Jane Doe’s rape. This “content partner” continues to be a promoted channel on XVideos.
Neither XVideos nor any other website that WGCZ owns or operates attempted to verify Jane Doe’s identity or age. As a result, child sex abuse material depicting Jane Doe was distributed broadly throughout the world on XVideos . While XVideos distributed and advertised this child sex abuse material, it profited financially through advertising and by drawing users to its websites to view the videos.
The legal team representing Jane Doe is looking for additional plaintiffs who might qualify to join the lawsuit against WGCZ and XVideos. Interested parties can reach the National Center on Sexual Exploitation Law Center at SexualExploitationLawsuits.com.
Why bring a class action lawsuit against WebGroup Czech Republic (WGCZ) and XVideos?
Jane Doe’s experience is neither isolated nor random. Neither are they incidental. For years, pornography “tube” sites have been a key part of the multibillion-dollar modern online pornography industry, which rests on a business model that is predicated on sexual harm.
The demand that the pornography industry supplies requires a product designed to feed depersonalized and dehumanized sexual appetites. Because there are not enough willing participants (“supply”) to make the product and satisfy the demand, the pornography industry resorts to exploitative means—rape, abuse, trafficking, and more—for procuring the “supply” needed to feed the demand they want to monetize.
WGCZ’s specifically uses sites like XVideos to offer a free, “high interest” product, mostly using “user-generated content,” such as the child sexual abuse material of the plaintiff in this lawsuit. The users may upload many of the videos, but WGCZ takes an active role in determining how this content ultimately appears on their site and then rakes in massive amounts of ad revenue from entities that pay them to target the huge flow of users (about 3 billion visits per month) —a figure pegged as being greater than online giants such as Netflix, Amazon, and Wikipedia.
TL;DR—WGCZ has chosen not to interrupt its steady flow of profits from these videos with any kind of consent verification or other form of vetting, even for videos that depict rape and child sexual abuse. As such, a class action lawsuit is an opportunity for myriad survivors of XVideos/WebGroup Czech Republic’s exploitation to seek a measure of justice. Through a class action procedure, the court can order WGCZ to implement large-scale changes such as, for example, rigorous safety and accountability measures.
What is the desired outcome of the class action lawsuit against WebGroup Czech Republic (WGCZ) and XVideos?
The plaintiffs are seeking accountability for and justice from WGCZ for knowingly profiting from the distribution of their childhood sexual abuse videos and images that were posted to XVideos and other WebGroup Czech Republic-owned sites. And they hope to prevent this from happening to others.
Through civil litigation, survivors can stand up to these corporations, shine a light on their exploitive and tortious conduct, and get some relief through monetary damages. It is clear that WGCZ financially benefitted from the trafficking and paid rape of these survivors when they were children. They must be held to account for that.
We know that the plaintiffs in this case are not the only people who have been victims of WGCZ. We hope others will join them in this class action lawsuit to fight for justice and to put an end to WGCZ’s exploitation empire once and for all.
Who is helping survivors bring this class action lawsuit against WebGroup Czech Republic (WGCZ) and XVideos? How can I ask questions and get more information about this case?
The legal team representing Jane Doe consists of:
- The Zarzaur Law Firm of Birmingham, Alabama;
- Kazerouni Law Group, APC of Costa Mesa, California;
- Levin Papantonio Rafferty of Pensacola, Florida;
- Laffey, Bucci & Kent, LLP, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania;
- Conrad O’Brien PC of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and
- National Center on Sexual Exploitation Law Center of Washington, D.C.
The National Center on Sexual Exploitation Law Center offers survivors of pornography-related abuse a way to seek justice. More information and ways to contact us—including in regards to possibly joining this class action lawsuit—can be found at SexualExploitationLawsuits.com.
How can I help support the lawsuit and be a part of holding WebGroup Czech Republic (WGCZ) and XVideos?
We are going to need a lot of support and resources to take on the multibillion-dollar international juggernaut that is WebGroup Czech Republic in court. Whatever you are able to give today will make a powerful difference in our efforts to see WGCZ and XVideos held legally and financially accountable for the countless instances of sexual abuse and exploitation that it has perpetrated over the years.
