Wish is a top ten retail shopping website and app which the National Center on Sexual Exploitation featured on our 2021 Dirty Dozen List. Our reasons for naming Wish to the Dirty Dozen List include the fact that they promote and profit from adult and child sex abuse dolls, spycams marketed specifically for filming women nude without their knowledge, and misogynistic apparel. Another reason was their apparent advertising relationship with MindGeek, the parent company of Pornhub that has come under fire for hosting videos of child sexual abuse, rape, sex-trafficking, and non-consensually filmed/distributed intimate moments.
MindGeek lies about its partnership with Wish
The MindGeek-owned ad agency TrafficJunky openly named Wish as one of their top advertisers. However, it would appear that this was a lie, which provides further evidence of MindGeek’s devious business practices.
After being named to our Dirty Dozen List, Wish was sent a notification letter which they failed to respond to. Following that, we named them to our Dismantle Pornhub campaign, which targets mainstream corporations that supply MindGeek’s infrastructure through advertising, distribution, consumer services, or technology. Through this campaign, we sent Wish a letter signed by 104 survivors and advocates, urging them to cut ties with MindGeek. They failed to respond to this letter as well.
After this, we contacted Wish’s investors, and on the same day emailed General Atlantic (one of Wish’s largest shareholders). This was when we finally heard back from a senior executive at Wish. Apparently, Wish was unaware that MindGeek featured them as a top partner.
They wrote us: “As a quick follow update, we’ve spoken with Traffic Junky as we have never had any agreement with them, nor have they ever served ads on our behalf. They have removed our logo from their website and have ensured they will no longer misrepresent any partnership between us.”
It comes as no surprise that MindGeek, a company which callously profits from the abuse of women and children and which has attempted to mislead Government officials while testifying under oath, would also have no qualms lying about their corporate partnerships. As Lawyer Michael Bowe stated while testifying before the Canadian Government: MindGeek is a “rogue company”. We cannot default to trusting them, the way we might with other companies and corporations.
Is Wish off the hook?
What does all this mean for Wish? Is their name cleared as a facilitator of sexual abuse and exploitation?
Unfortunately, no. As previously mentioned, the advertising relationship with MindGeek was not the only reason Wish was featured on our Dirty Dozen List. They still market adult and child sex abuse dolls, spycams advertised as useful for filming women nude without their consent, and misogynistic apparel. As of yet, they have not removed these products. For this reason, Wish is still not “shopping made fun” – it is shopping made exploitative.
