Nytimes.com: The Children of Pornhub

[Destino]

Quote

This article contains descriptions of sexual assault.

Pornhub prides itself on being the cheery, winking face of naughty, the website that buys a billboard in Times Square and provides snow plows to clear Boston streets. It donates to organizations fighting for racial equality and offers steamy content free to get people through Covid-19 shutdowns.

 

That supposedly “wholesome Pornhub” attracts 3.5 billion visits a month, more than Netflix, Yahoo or Amazon. Pornhub rakes in money from almost three billion ad impressions a day. One rankinglists Pornhub as the 10th-most-visited website in the world.

 

Yet there’s another side of the company: Its site is infested with rape videos. It monetizes child rapes, revenge pornography, spy cam videos of women showering, racist and misogynist content, and footage of women being asphyxiated in plastic bags. A search for “girls under18” (no space) or “14yo” leads in each case to more than 100,000 videos. Most aren’t of children being assaulted, but too many are.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/04/opinion/sunday/pornhub-rape-trafficking.html
 

That’s not the easiest article to read, so heads up if this stuff messes you up too badly
 

I don’t think the writer goes far enough with his demands.  Why is it just enough for pornhub to try harder at keeping illegal video off their site?  Talk about aiming low!  Begging a billion dollar company to demonstrate some effort for something that shouldn’t even be a request is pathetic,  That should be a “do it or die in jail” type of law.  
 

But that, to my mind, is still thinking in small terms by media that seems increasingly terrified to be thought of as “anti-porn”.  Heaven forbid.  Why aren’t these billion dollar companies keeping kids from viewing their content?  Why are we ok letting companies that thrive off exploitive and abusive content shape the minds of children at all?  I don’t care if the video is technically comprised of consenting adults if their audience is made up of children.  

We regulate industries of every stripe, this should be no different.
 

/rant

[China]

Scary to think about.  I can't imagine even searching for some of those things.  I cringe at the thought.  Let alone what might end up on my search history.  But you are correct, a company as wealthy as Pornhub should employ people whose job it is to find these abhorrent videos, remove and report them.  But we should also be aware that people who have jobs like that tend to suffer from a form of PTSD.  That's not to say someone shouldn't be acting as watchdog, but that those that do should be rotated and treated for any after effects of such a job.

[Destino]

46 minutes ago, China said:

Scary to think about.  I can't imagine even searching for some of those things.  I cringe at the thought.  Let alone what might end up on my search history.  But you are correct, a company as wealthy as Pornhub should employ people whose job it is to find these abhorrent videos, remove and report them.  But we should also be aware that people who have jobs like that tend to suffer from a form of PTSD.  That's not to say someone shouldn't be acting as watchdog, but that those that do should be rotated and treated for any after effects of such a job.

What’s posted on the site isn’t newsworthy or vital in anyway.  In fact, it’s sensitive material.  There’s no reason to treat it the same way as standard social media where anything can be published by anyone.  They shouldn’t allow users to post anything without verifying their age and identity first and provide consent and proof of age of everyone appearing in the video.  

[Larry]

Yes, I can see ther argument that porn should be subject to more scrutiny than Facebood should.  Because of the natire of it's content, which is traditionally (and legitimately, IMO) considered "adult only".  

 

Think that requiring posters of every single file to provide ID of every participant (and keep such records on file?) seems excessive.  Although yes, I could see valid reasons for wanting it.  

 

(And I don't think you made your case all that well.)  

[ixcuincle]

This is sad to hear. Many of us love a good view at nudity but there are limits. If the woman is willing and hasnt' been tricked that's fine but when you start getting into the adult industry it can be a sleazy business. Recently GirlsDoPorn was shut down (or sued) for tricking women into saying "These videos aren't going to be leaked to the public" and just putting them out anyway. And the AV world in Japan isn't even kosher either.

 

Companies should be more proactive in taking revenge porn and things like that off their sites

Edited December 7, 2020 by ixcuincle

[China]

Mastercard investigates Pornhub for allegations of child abuse

 

Mastercard is investigating allegations against Pornhub.com, after a New York Times column on Friday accused the porn site of hosting videos on its platform that depict child abuse and nonconsensual sexual behavior.

 

The credit card company, which accepts payments on the website, said on Sunday it has "zero tolerance for illegal activity" on its network and that it works closely with law enforcement and organizations such as the National and International Center for Missing and Exploited Children to detect and prevent those types of transactions.

"We are investigating the allegations raised in the New York Times and are working with [Pornhub parent company] MindGeek's bank to understand this situation, in addition to the other steps they have already taken. If the claims are substantiated, we will take immediate action," Mastercard (MA) said in a statement to CNN Business. "When we identify illegal activity, our policy is to ask the acquirer to terminate the relationship, unless an effective compliance plan is put in place."

The investigation comes after a Times' column, written by Pulitzer Prize winner Nicholas Kristof, described recordings on Pornhub's website of assaults of unconscious women and girls, including a naked video of a 14-year-old girl. He wrote that Pornhub allows videos to be downloaded directly from its site, leaving room for content to spread and be reuploaded to the internet even after it's been taken down.

Pornhub denied the allegations, stating that any assertion it allows child sex abuse material (CSAM) on its platform is "irresponsible and flagrantly untrue."

 

Click on the link for the full article

[tshile]

Because this is porn specific, and because it’s child abuse/kidnapping/rape/coercion/etc, I have a feeling of anything happens it’ll be legislation that is narrow in scope. 
 

and I don’t necessarily want to take away from that because in part it’s due to good reasons

 

but.... this needs to be revisited. 
 

if someone posts a child porn on ES, and it takes 3 hours for an ES mod to become aware of the issue, and the mod immediately removes it from public view and reports everything to the authorities and cooperated with an investigation, should ES then be held “liable” (whatever you think that means) for hosting a child porn video?

 

most reasonable people would say no, probably not, so long as you can see there is a good faith effort to address it and not promote such things. 
 

And that’s why we have the rules we have. But it’s obviously abused. Because ultimately it’s a self policing thing, where for the most part content hosts fall back on needing someone to report the instance in the first place. 
 

and this is bull****. As a member of Es I feel good this place does it’s best. 
 

but we know others don’t. There are countless examples of companies skirting the actual responsibility they supposedly have, by putting in place procedures that check the boxes of legal liability but clearly fall short of the moral obligation that is the “spirit” of the regulation. 
 

it’s time we find a way to fairly hold these organizations responsible. And while it sounds impossible due to scale, the reality is some clever legislation followed up by some ruthless enforcement on the worst offenders (it’s not like it’d be hard to pick a few...) would likely cause a shock to the system that would put a big dent in it. 
 

Ultimately it’d likely chase it to the dark web (where it already is) and that’s a whole different animal but you have to start somewhere and this is where I think we should start. 
 

does it matter if it’s a us company? What if it is but the content is hosted on overseas servers? What’s a threshold for recurrence and time to remediation? Maybe it should have industry specific parts - like a porn content host has stricter requirements than, say, a sports message board, due to the type of content and who it attracts. 

Edited December 7, 2020 by tshile

[Larry]

As to legal liability, I do think things Internet need to have some kind of protection from liability for third party actions.  I think the term is "common carrier".  

 

If your company simply permits Party X to send something to Party Y, without you in any way being aware of the contents of the box, then you shouldn't be liable for what's in the box.  

 

Although I think there need to be limitations on that protection, too.  

 

For example, you can't claim "I just shipped the box" protection, if you're also examining the contents of the box, so you can profit from the data.  

 

Now, though, Pornhub?  

 

Far as I'm aware, they advertise themselves as being a site for porn.  And it appears they charge for it.  (See Mastercard article.)  I could see the reasoning that that obligates them to restrict the site to adults, for example.  

Edited December 7, 2020 by Larry

[Forehead]

Aren't most videos on Pornhub "illegal" in a sense?  I'd assume most companies aren't putting their videos up there for free, and most of the uploads are coming from users who are likely reposting them without permission.

 

The kid thing is horrifying, and having two young kids, is part of the reason I have a really hard time reading anything like this.  There's a whole lot of "out there" stuff in the porn world and I try not to be too judgmental about anyone's "thing" but I just can't wrap my head around that.

[bearrock]

There are mountains of law review articles written on publisher liability in the digital age and the appropriate balance to strike (and I would say that the only consensus is that it's hard and complex).

 

But the broader issue plaguing the US and the world at large is that the powers that be has gotten so good at gunking up the system, any new frontier is treated like the wild west.  It has been over two decades since the DMCA.  Think about how crazy that is.  We have a world where technology becomes obsolete in a blink of an eye, but Congress hasn't moved on this in a digital eternity.  That leaves prosecutors, law enforcement, and victims continually searching for the right square peg to jam into a round hole.  

[PokerPacker]

8 hours ago, bearrock said:

That leaves prosecutors, law enforcement, and victims continually searching for the right square peg to jam into a round hole.  

Why would you be talking about pegs and round holes in a thread about porn?

Edited December 8, 2020 by PokerPacker

[China]

Pornhub bans user uploads after abuse allegations

 

Pornhub, one of the world's most visited adult sites, is changing its rules over user uploads after being accused of hosting illegal videos.

 

A New York Times investigation accused the site of being "infested" with child-abuse and rape-related videos.

 

Pornhub said the claims were "irresponsible and flagrantly untrue".

 

But it has now said users must be verified to upload videos and removed its download function, which meant removed content could easily resurface.

 

The verification feature will launch in the new year, it said. For now, uploads have been removed for all users except industry professionals.

 

The move follows reports Visa and Mastercard had launched their own investigations into the claims.

 

If - as the New York Times article had urged - the two payment companies had suspended their services, it would have hit the website's owner, Mindgeek, financially.

 

Click on the link for the full article

 

[Larry]

Also have to say - I'm admising the credit card companies getting all high and acting rightious about "zero tolerance for illegal activity".  

 

Bull****.  

 

Try calling your credit card company and telling them that you got scammed by somebody claiming to be the IRS.  I absolutely guarantee you that their position will be that hey, you voluntarily gave up your credit card number to that criminal.  And therefore, the charge is valid, and no, they won't stop allowing the criminal from continuing to defraud other people using their service.  

 

The credit card companies have no problem from profiting from a lot of illegal activity.  They simply chose to have a problem with a carefully selected list of things.  

[China]

MasterCard to Cut Pornhub Ties; Visa Suspends Use Pending Probe

 

Mastercard Inc. said it won’t allow its cards to be used on Pornhub.com after the network’s review of the website uncovered unlawful content, and rival Visa Inc. is suspending acceptance of its cards on the site pending completion of its own investigation.

 

Both companies started looking into Pornhub after a New York Times column accused the website of distributing videos depicting child abuse and non-consensual violence. Pornhub has said any assertion that it allows material depicting child sexual abuse is untrue.

 

“Our investigation over the past several days has confirmed violations of our standards prohibiting unlawful content on their site,” Mastercard said in a statement Thursday. “We instructed the financial institutions that connect the site to our network to terminate acceptance.”

 

Mastercard said it’s continuing to investigate potential illegal content on other websites. Pornography sites have long faced difficulty accepting electronic payments, and sex workers have claimed that banks shut their accounts after learning of their profession.

 

Click on the link for the full article

[China]

Pornhub Just Purged All Unverified Content From the Platform

 

After changing its policies to ban unverified uploaders and Mastercard and Visa's decision to drop the platform entirely, Pornhub has removed millions of videos.
 

Pornhub is removing all videos on its site that weren't uploaded by official content partners or members of its model program, a fundamental shift in the way one of the largest porn sites in the world operates. This means a significant portion of its videos will disappear. 

 

"As part of our policy to ban unverified uploaders, we have now also suspended all previously uploaded content that was not created by content partners or members of the Model Program," according to Pornhub's announcement. "This means every piece of Pornhub content is from verified uploaders, a requirement that platforms like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Snapchat and Twitter have yet to institute."

 

Pornhub said the videos will be removed pending verification and review, and the verification process will begin in the new year. Prior to this change, anyone could create an account on Pornhub and upload any video they wanted to, since the platform's launch in 2007.

 

Click on the link for the full article

[visionary]

 

[Larry]

Mental image of "where Pornhub's videos will shake out". 

[visionary]

Hmmmm....  Is this why they started taking things down?

 

 

Edited December 16, 2020 by visionary

[visionary]

 

[Larry]

I'm thinking of the line "I'll believe that corporations are people when Texas executes one."  

[tshile]

On 12/9/2020 at 11:30 AM, Larry said:

Bull****.  

 

Try calling your credit card company and telling them that you got scammed by somebody claiming to be the IRS.  I absolutely guarantee you that their position will be that hey, you voluntarily gave up your credit card number to that criminal.  And therefore, the charge is valid, and no, they won't stop allowing the criminal from continuing to defraud other people using their service.  

I’m not sure if this is a specific reference, but I’m assuming it’s not... in which case, just personal experience, but ive dealt with American Express, discover, and one of the bigger banks on person issues and American Express as part of investigating a crime, and it all cases everyone was immediately helpful and I was never charged a cent. The bank actually refunded the money immediately , with the stipulation they will withdrawal the money if their investigation revealed my claim was false. Only time I heard a thing was when I got the letter saying they completed the investigation and determined my claim was correct. With the criminal investigation Amex struck a lot of payments from a card, month after month. Cards were replaced. Customer and Amex knew there was fraud. All money was refunded no hassle at all. Somewhere close to 100k worth of charges over the whole time. 
 

in fact. My personal recommendation is to use credit cards for everything. I have a whole argument about why not gaming the rewards system is foolishness but that’s something different. Anyways the main reason is when there’s fraud on your account, and you report it, no money has actually left your bank. You don’t pay for it until it’s on a statement you pay. So you have a lot of time to discover and fight fraudulent charges before you’ve actually lost money. Debit cards are immediate. You have to hope your bank will at least refund the money temporarily like mine did. I can tell you I know of one person using a lower grade bank and they made him wait for them to finish their 6 month investigation. 
 

Internet. Gas pump. Grocer. Sports stadium. Gym. 
 

If you’re going to lose your information, lose your credit card information. Not your debit card. It’s just way easier to deal with that way. 

[China]

Why the Stop Internet Sexual Exploitation Act could be the end of internet porn

 

In an effort to crack down on revenge and child pornography, a pair of senators have proposed legislation that critics say will be the death knell for most internet porn.

 

The bipartisan Stop Internet Sexual Exploitation Act (SISEA) is proposed by Sens. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.) and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.). The act requires internet companies to establish standards intended to protect people from sexual exploitation online, a well-known and devastating phenomenon that has ruined countless lives.

 

"For years, Pornhub and its parent company Mindgeek monetized rape, abuse, and child exploitation. While these suit-wearing traffickers got rich, their victims have lived with the pain and fear," Sasse said in a release. "That has to end now. Our bill is aimed squarely at the monsters who profit from rape."

 

While admirable in purpose, SISEA is written so broadly, and is so burdensome, that most websites would have little choice but to stop hosting pornographic content. If it passes, internet porn could disappear entirely or, more likely, move to servers in foreign countries and the dark web, where protections are fewer and the content more insidious.

 

SISEA requires companies to establish 24-hour hotlines for take-down requests by victims, and demands that sites remove content within two hours of a request. It also bans downloads entirely, as well as re-uploads of content that's been taken down under the act.

 

It additionally requires the attorney general to create a database of all individuals who don't consent to having their images uploaded. Internet companies must "ensure that no individual who appears in the pornographic image is listed in the database" prior to allowing content to be posted. For each piece of content, they must upload signed consent forms that include performers' ages, names, the content the form applies to, and where it can be distributed.

 

Financial penalties for violations are also severe. Sites that host content without a consent form can be fined up to "$1,000 for each day or fraction thereof during which a pornographic image is hosted on the platform." These funds are earmarked for the attorney general's office to provide services to victims, including mental healthcare, medical care, and legal services.

 

Click on the link for the full article

[China]

Pornhub’s ‘Year in Review’ reveals what XXX fans in US and UK love watching – with big surprises

 

PORNHUB has exposed what horny Americans and Brits have been looking for in the past year - and there's a new favourite in town.

 

Hentai porn is now the XXX site's most searched term globally, ranking number one in the US and number three in the UK.

 

But it's not all about fantasy, as it turns out many users have a romantic side too.

 

Searches containing ‘romance’ and ‘romantic’ more than doubled, while 'passionate' saw a 139% jump.

 

Romance comes in at number two, with group sex, fitness, swapping, challenge, transgender, goth, roommate and 'how to' also in the top ten.

 

Data for the past year shows that the UK is now the second biggest visitor to the site, overtaking Japan, while the US remains number one.

 

The average user from the UK spends about 9 minutes and 52 seconds on Pornhub, compared to 9 minutes and 44 seconds stateside.

 

Click on the link for the full article

[Destino]

Quote

Grammy-winning singer Billie Eilish has spoken about an addiction to watching pornography, starting at age 11, and how it gave her nightmares and messed her up when she started dating.

 

Eilish, who turns 20 on Saturday, was speaking on "The Howard Stern Show" on Sirius XM radio on Monday.

 

"I think porn is a disgrace. I used to watch a lot of porn, to be honest. I started watching porn when I was, like, 11," the "Bad Guy" singer said, saying it helped her feel as if she were cool and "one of the guys."

 

"I think it really destroyed my brain and I feel incredibly devastated that I was exposed to so much porn," she added, saying she suffered nightmares because some of the content she watched was so violent and abusive.

https://www.cnn.com/2021/12/15/entertainment/billie-eilish-porn-scli-intl/index.html
 

11 years old watching “violent and abusive” porn.  Good grief.  These sites aren’t stupid, they know much of their traffic is minors, but the ad revenue spends the same, be it from an adult or an 11 year old girl.

[Riggo-toni]