Aylo Holdings, the owner of Pornhub, has publicly acknowledged profiting from sex trafficking and has entered a deferred prosecution agreement to address charges related to illicit monetary transactions linked to sex trafficking proceeds.
This revelation was communicated by Breon Peace, the US Attorney for the Eastern District of New York.
Aylo Holdings to Pay $1.8 Million in Settlement
According to the terms of the agreement, Aylo Holdings, headquartered in Montreal and the parent company of Pornhub, will remit over $1.8 million to the US government.
Furthermore, the company will make individual payments to women whose videos were posted on the platform without their consent.
As part of the arrangement, an independent monitor will be appointed for a three-year period to supervise reforms. Upon the successful completion of these reforms, the charges will be dismissed.
The charge stems from Aylo’s role in hosting videos and accepting payments from GirlsDoPorn, a now-defunct adult film production company.
The operators of GirlsDoPorn were previously convicted of sex trafficking crimes for coercing young women into explicit acts on camera, with the videos being posted on Pornhub and other adult sites without their consent.
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Pornhub Owner Profiting from Sex Trafficking
Prosecutors allege that between 2017 and 2020, Aylo knowingly received money derived from GirlsDoPorn’s sex trafficking operations.
Despite being informed by victims, Aylo reportedly did not act promptly or thoroughly enough to remove all non consensual videos from its platform.
As part of the agreement, Aylo has committed to compensating the victims, though specific details about eligibility and the application process are yet to be disclosed.
The development highlights the pervasive issue of nonconsensual content on adult platforms and the responsibility these platforms bear in preventing and addressing such exploitation.
The agreement coincides with increased scrutiny on the industry, as evidenced by the European Union’s recent decision to require age verification on major porn sites, including Pornhub, under the Digital Services Act aimed at enhancing online safety.
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