AG Knudsen joins coalition to protect children from exploitation on online pornography platform

HELENA – Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen and 25 other state attorneys general are calling on Alyo – the parent company of the website PornHub – to follow child protection laws and explain what the company is doing following a recent report that exposes a potential “loophole” that can be exploited by rapists and human traffickers to share content of their victims.

According to recent reports, PornHub requires content creators and performers to produce a photo ID to open an account to upload content but are not required to show their faces in the uploaded content. As a result, there is no way to confirm that the content features the person who uploaded it, a company employee said. The employee also said “of course” rapists and human traffickers could take advantage of it to upload content of and exploit their victims and even monetize the video to profit from their crimes.

“As state Attorneys General—and parents—we are deeply concerned by recent reports of this possible workaround that could permit countless children to be victimized,” the attorneys general wrote in a letter sent today to company executives. “Please provide us with an explanation of this ‘loophole;’ whether Aylo and its subsidiaries do, in fact, permit content creators and performers to obscure their faces in uploaded content; and, if so, whether Aylo is taking measures to change this policy to ensure that no children or other victims are being abused for profit on any of its platforms.”

This isn’t the company’s first controversy. Last month, PornHub’s parent company MindGeek was acquired by Ethical Capital Partners and the name was changed to Aylo to rebrand after the company was repeatedly sued for allegations of profiting from child pornography and non-consensual sex videos. Additionally, last year, two major credit card companies cut off the company’s advertising department that sells ads on PornHub from payment processing amid accusations that the company distributed child pornography. In 2020, the website deleted millions of videos following allegations it was hosting child sexual abuse and non-consensual sex content.

“The signatories to this letter are dedicated to protecting children. We expect you and your companies to follow laws that protect children as well,” the attorneys general wrote. “Children’s lives and livelihoods are at stake.”

Click here to read the letter.

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