PornHub does not need any introduction. That peppy music introducing the black and yellow logo is something that has become a trademark for desire. One of the most popular porn sites with millions of videos online, PornHub has roped itself in a controversy. The site has pulled down 10 million videos uploaded from unverified sites. Apparently, it was the New York Times that raised the question. Moreover, it mentioned in an article how the site has too many videos of underage children being exploited and abused.
The Seed of Issue Was Sowed Earlier:
The trouble for PornHub arose when ‘The Children of Pornhub’ formed the most concerning and troubling article. Moreover, he claimed “Its site is infested with rape videos. It monetizes child rapes, revenge pornography, spycam videos of women showering.
Furthermore, it has racist and misogynist content, and footage of women being asphyxiated in plastic bags.”. Moreover, the piece showcased how the video is exploiting and fetishizing child abuse and non-consensual violence.
PornHub became a source to find the missing child. Also, a case of a 15-year-old missing girl from Florida was solved. Her mother found over 50 videos of her on PornHub.
Actions taken
After they addressed the issues, credit card companies like MasterCard and Visa stopped transactions on the site within the week. Furthermore, they initiated probes with the parent company of Pornhub.
MasterCard responded, “confirmed violations of our standards prohibiting unlawful content on their site”. Meanwhile, Visa responded by saying “to suspend the processing of payments through the Visa network”. Hence, only Bitcoin users can transact and use PornHub.
The Response of Pornhub Through Actions
In response to the incident, PornHub banned the others from posting videos from unverified sources. Moreover, it also has stopped anyone from posting new content and eliminating downloads. This has prompted them to be “most comprehensive safeguards in user-generated platform history”.
Furthermore, PornHub has removed all content uploaded by all the unverified users. They are hoping that their action is enough to showcase their concern. They have claimed in a statement that their action “demonstrated our dedication to leading by example”.
PornHub has always tried to follow the footsteps of YouTube. Moreover, it allows anyone to upload content. The main reason behind this is to moentase it. The boom of success for pornhub happens all over the world. The site also profits from ads as well. According to the statistics of SimilarWeb.com, this site has clocked over 3.3 billion visits in November 2020.
In one of the blogpost, PornHub has said that
“leading non-profit organizations and advocacy groups acknowledge” its efforts. They are trying to fight the illegal content effectively. They have chosen to remove the unnecessary and wrong videos.
Facebook has reported over 84 million examples of child sexual abuse material for over three years. However, a study has shown that independent third-party applications have recorded 118 incidents on Pornhub. To this issue, Porn*Hub has said, “That is still 118 too many, which is why we are committed to taking every necessary action,”
Moreover, they are trying to fight the issue of trafficking and pornography. They claimed that they are “dedicated to abolishing pornography, banning material they claim is obscene, and shutting down commercial sex work”.
The Implications of the Actions
Many think that a drastic fall in visitors may take place. Moreover, with the majority of videos erased, one can see the fall in revenue as well. New users will not be able to buy subscriptions. As payment options using credit cards have ceased, it will get tough to watch videos.
Ending note:
One can now notice the impact of such occurrences on other porn sites as well. Moreover, it is creating awareness as well and eradicating issues from the core.
