Pornhub Responds To Criticism From Mayor Plante & New York Times With New Safety Measures
Pornhub has been back in the news lately. A New York Times opinion piece that asked, "Why does Canada allow this company to profit off videos of exploitation and assault?" caused Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante to speak out against the locally-based free porn website.Â
This article contains graphic content that might not be suitable for some readers.
Well, Pornhub finally responded. Â
On December 8, a spokesperson directed MTL Blog to a post on its website. It outlines new measures to crack down on illegal content, including non-consensual material and child sexual abuse material.Â
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While leading non-profit and advocacy groups recognize that our efforts have been effective, we know there is more to do.
PornhubÂ
In a statement, Pornhub says it is taking "major steps" to protect its community.Â
First of all, effective immediately, it is only allowing verified users to upload content.
"In the new year, we will implement a verification process so that any user can upload content upon successful completion of identification protocol," it says.
It is also banning downloads, and expanding moderation.
In addition to leveraging technology, such as fingerprinting software and PhotoDNA, the company has created a "Red Team" to proactively sweep and monitor the site for illegal content.
Next, Pornbub pointed to its trusted flagger program, a recent initiative that "empowers" non-profit partners to alert Pornhub to any material they think violates the terms of service.
One of Pornhub's partners, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, is set to release Pornhub's total number of reported non-consensual material and child sexual abuse material incidents. Pornhub says this will happen in 2021.
Pornhub also says it will release its first-ever "Transparency Report" next year, detailing its content moderation results from 2020.
"This will make us the only adult content platform to release such a report," it says.Â
Lastly, Pornhub hired a law firm in April to conduct an independent review of its standards, policies and practices.
The law firm is currently gathering information that could help with its recommendations. If you have any insight to share, you can submit it via this online form.Â
