Pornhub Settles CSAM Allegations for $5 Million
▼ Summary
– Pornhub and its parent company Aylo have settled with the FTC and Utah over claims of harming children, agreeing to pay $5 million to Utah.
– The settlement requires Pornhub to address allegations of allowing child sexual abuse material and nonconsensual content on its platform.
– The FTC alleged that Pornhub did not review flagged content until it was reported at least 16 times and failed to block repeat offenders.
– Pornhub was also accused of not maintaining or protecting age verification paperwork, including sensitive personal information like Social Security numbers.
– As part of the settlement, Pornhub must implement policies to combat harmful content, though Aylo claims these measures were already in place or in progress.
Pornhub and its parent company Aylo have reached a $5 million settlement with the Federal Trade Commission and the state of Utah following allegations that the platform enabled the distribution of illegal and harmful content. The agreement resolves claims that the site failed to protect minors and adequately monitor uploaded material, resulting in what authorities described as “grave harm on children.”
Among the specific accusations, regulators found that Pornhub permitted the sharing of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and nonconsensual content. The platform reportedly did not review flagged videos until they had been reported at least 16 times, allowing harmful material to remain accessible for extended periods. Additionally, the company did not effectively prevent users who uploaded abusive content from creating new accounts and continuing to distribute illegal media.
The FTC also highlighted serious lapses in age verification protocols. Pornhub failed to maintain proper records to confirm the ages of individuals featured in videos and did not safeguard sensitive personal information, including Social Security numbers, government-issued IDs, and dates of birth.
As part of the settlement, Pornhub must now enforce stricter policies to combat CSAM and nonconsensual material. In a statement, Aylo emphasized that the agreement does not impose any new major requirements beyond what was already being implemented or developed internally. The company maintains that it has been actively enhancing its safety measures and content moderation systems in recent years.
(Source: The Verge)
