Pornhub has rolled out a range of big changes in an update to its content moderation, allowable uploads, and other processes after damning allegations that the porn platform was allowing and hosting content that featured rape, revenge porn, child abuse material, and non-consensual videos.
On December 4, The New York Times released a big investigation, alleging that with simple search terms, someone could dredge up a whole host of “child rapes, revenge pornography, spycam videos of women showering, racist and misogynist content, and footage of women being asphyxiated in plastic bags”. It also noted that over 100,000 videos involving children (some depicting assault) are available on the site, which Pornhub allegedly monetizes.
The report noted that Pornhub worked on a model similar to YouTube, in that any member of the public could upload content to the site as long as they had an account, and anyone could download the content from the site as well. So even if something involving a criminal act was deleted from its servers, it still could have been downloaded countless times and shared on from there.
After this damning report was published, Pornhub moved quickly to roll out an update of its moderation features, including uploading content from verified users only, banning the download feature, and establishing a ‘Red Team’ of dedicated self-auditors to monitor and moderate content for potentially illegal material.
In addition to this, the site has launched a ‘Trusted Flagger Program’ where non-profit partners can alert Pornhub to content that may violate the site’s Terms of Service, and a partnership with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) in the US, which is due to release a report of the total number of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) hosted on Pornhub’s site in early 2021.
Earlier this year, an independent review into Pornhub’s content compliance began, focusing in on “meeting legal standards and eliminating non-consensual content, CSAM, and any other content uploaded without the meaningful consent of all parties”, with an aim to “set the standard for the technology industry”.
This review is still ongoing, but the Pornhub team said that an inventory of remedial recommendations and sub-recommendations has already been identified by the external review body.
Help is available.
If you require immediate assistance, please call 000.
If you’d like to speak to someone about image-based abuse or sexual violence, please call the 1800 Respect hotline on 1800 737 732 or chat online.
Under 25? You can reach Kids Helpline at 1800 55 1800 or chat online.
Recording, sharing, or threatening to share an intimate image without consent is a criminal offence across much of Australia.
If you’d like to report image-based abuse to police or get help removing an intimate image from social media, reach out to the Australian eSafety Commissioner here.
