Pornhub removes 9 million videos amid reports of underage abuse

Pornhub has removed millions of videos that featured underage subjects, along with victims of sex-trafficking. 

This comes in after Visa and Mastercard cut ties with the website after a New York Times report revealed how many inappropriate and illegal videos were circulating on the website, many featuring minors.

Due to this, Pornhub has removed the majority of its content, and now prohibits unverified users from positing content on the website. In addition to removing illegal videos, PornHub is in the process of removing videos that were uploaded by unverified users.

Announcing the move in a blog post, the company said that it is therefore removing all content emanating from unverifiable sources, while chiding mega social media companies like Facebook and Twitter for their inability to do the same.

Also read: Mastercard, Visa investigate financial ties with Pornhub

“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,” the company said. 

“At Pornhub, the safety of our community is our top priority”, it added.

Soon after the removal process began, the number of videos on the website went from 13 million to just 4 million, according to a report by Motherboard.

Even though it’s a step in the right direction to curb underage content, it will also have a negative impact on sex workers, who use platforms like Pornhub to make a living during the pandemic, which has already left most of them without wages.

Also read: Pornhub under fire for rape and abuse videos

This is the first time since the launch of Pornhub in 2007 that only verified content will end up on the site.

In order to become verified, a Pornhub user needs to submit a photo of themselves with a piece of paper bearing their username. Once verified, users can monetise their videos.

Pornhub claims that it is being targeted not because of how its policies compare to its peers, but simply because it hosts adult content.