A new investigation released by Sound Investigations has uncovered that the tube site Pornhub has identified a workaround to bypass age verification for explicit, adult content videos. When videos are uploaded with blurred faces, Pornhub does not carry out age verification checks for those featured.
BREAKING: Pornhub Exec Reveals Rapists & Traffickers Use Pornhub “Loophole” to “Make a Lot of Money”
C-Suite won’t fix “They would lose a lot of money”
Says government doesn’t “know sh*t… not qualified to identify the loophole”#PornhubTapes pic.twitter.com/2TaUBbkAgr
— Arden Young (@arden_young_) September 13, 2023
During a conversation between Pornhub CEO Mike Farley and an undercover reporter, Farley acknowledged the site’s executives are aware of this issue, which is exploited by human traffickers for profit.
Farley explained that the reason behind the company’s inaction is financial; implementing a solution would counteract their business interests.
“Why do they roll with it?” the Sound Investigations undercover reporter asked, “Why don’t they say something?”
“Because it costs money,” Farley said, not knowing he is on film. “It would be counterintuitive to the business.”
Efforts to address the concern with the Chief Product Officer (CPO) and Chief Legal Officer (CLO) were met with resistance, with the CPO dismissing it outright. “We’ve brought it up to the CPO [chief product officer]. We’ve brought it up to the CLO [chief legal officer], and they’re both telling us it’s all good. And the CPO is especially telling us like, ‘F*ck off. It’s all good. Stop. Like, shut up,'” Farleysaid.
MindGeek, the parent company of Pornhub, has faced pressure to ensure consent and age verification for hosted videos. In 2020, the platform changed its rules to allow only video uploads, preventing downloads.
While they deny hosting videos involving rape or revenge porn, the Sound Investigations report suggests they are unable to verify content when the victim’s face is obscured.
When asked about potential government intervention, Farley expressed doubt, suggesting that government authorities lack the qualifications to identify such a loophole.
Age verification is solely required for the individual uploading videos to Pornhub. Farley stated that he and Ramsey Belmaaza, his superior, have raised the concern within the company, but their input has been disregarded.
Sound Investigations pressed Farley on the users exploiting this age verification loophole, and he confirmed that human traffickers use it for profit.
Farley claimed to have recorded a meeting with his Chief Product Officer as a precaution, warning about potential issues if the situation escalates. He stressed the financial consequences of hosting unidentifiable content, but some individuals within the company remain unconcerned.
