After some accusations against the adult site Pornhub for allegedly hosting child pornography, companies such as Mastercard and Visa decided to revoke their card payment services on this platform. This could be a severe blow to the site, which has become one of the most visited platforms of its kind.
According to a report published a few days ago in the New York Times, the platform monetizes child rape, videos obtained without people’s consent, besides racist, misogynistic and potentially dangerous content.
The editors argue that Pornhub does not establish any control over the content that its users post day by day: “It is impossible to determine whether a young woman in a video is 15 or 18 years old; neither Pornhub nor anyone else has any idea about the amount of illegal content available on the platform.”
After a request for information, a Pornhub representative demined such claims, noting that the report is irresponsible and false: “Pornhub is fully committed to combating child abuse material. As leaders of the industry we have instituted a comprehensive security policy to identify and eradicate from our community any material deemed illegal.”
Just a few days ago the platform implemented some modifications to the video upload process, so from now on only verified users will be able to upload content, in addition to restricting the download of material for free users and extending the presence of content moderators. Other platforms such as Google, Facebook and Twitter have also made some changes in order to remove any child abuse material.
However, these new policies have not convinced payment operators. After conducting his own research, Mastercard decided to end its relationship with the company: “The use of our cards on Pornhub is terminated today. After investigating the case we found multiple violations of our standards on illegal content; we will replicate this research on other websites,” mentioned a statement from the company.
On the other hand, Visa has taken provisional action while its own investigation concludes: “Given recent allegations, Visa has decided to suspend its relationship with Pornhub until the ongoing investigation is completed.”
Pornhub is owned by MindGeek, a company that owns more than 100 adult websites, including RedTube and Youporn. Specialists believe that these measures represent a significant blow to the company, which could also affect the pornography industry (actors, actresses, producers, etc.), which earn considerable revenue from users who month by month pay their subscription on these platforms.
He is a cyber security and malware researcher. He studied Computer Science and started working as a cyber security analyst in 2006. He is actively working as an cyber security investigator. He also worked for different security companies. His everyday job includes researching about new cyber security incidents. Also he has deep level of knowledge in enterprise security implementation.