- A former Pornhub video moderator said content that should have been removed had been “up for months”.
- The former MindGeek employee made the claim in the new Netflix documentary Money Shot: The Pornhub Story.
- We explore the dark side of porn through interviews with performers and industry insiders.
Editor’s Note: This article contains references to child sexual exploitation material that some may find triggers. If you are a victim of exploitation and need help, please contact the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children online. https://www.missingkids.org/
A former MindGeek moderator said many Pornhub videos that should have been removed have been on the platform for months.
According to a former Mindgeek employee, Pornhub has received “thousands” of requests to remove videos that may contain sexual exploitation of minors or non-consensual behavior. Moderators couldn’t handle them all.
“Many videos that should have been taken down have been out for months,” he said in a new Netflix documentary, Money Shot: The Pornhub Story, out Wednesday.
Although his identity was not disclosed, he claimed to have reviewed 700 videos a day, though moderators were expected to review a lot more.
“I think the company could have done more to prevent certain things, but they chose not to and they really just changed a few things after the problem happened,” he said.
“We were looking for videos as quickly as possible.
The former host said he couldn’t tell someone’s age from the video and that it was “really difficult” to tell if they were underage.
“Basically, my manager would decide whether to remove the video entirely or re-publish it,” he said. “The rules are changing all the time.”
Yoota Souras of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children said in the documentary that online companies defined as electronic service providers are subject to U.S. law to the Center if they discover apparent child pornography on their platforms. He said he was obliged to report.
“Because the reporting law applies only to U.S. companies, international companies are not obligated to register with NCMEC, report child sexual abuse material to CyberTipline, or engage with us.” says Souras.
Mindgeek registered to report to NCMEC in March 2020. websitebut it primarily operates out of Montreal, Canada.
Money Shot: The Pornhub Story explores the history and dark side of Pornhub and the censorship of sex workers. This documentary features interviews with former MindGeek employees, porno performers, journalists and industry insiders. It will be available worldwide on Netflix on March 15th.
MindGeek told Insider: “MindGeek’s policy is to immediately remove any content found to violate our Terms of Service and review material reported by users. No questions asked.”
“Users may not upload content to the Platform unless they upload a government-issued ID that has passed third-party verification. Users may disable content on the Platform by completing a Content Removal Request Form. Our policy is to immediately and automatically disable any material for further review. NCMEC, the world’s leading child protection organization, reports that Pornhub has fewer cases of child sexual abuse than all major platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube in the shortest time after notification. Removes cases of child sexual abuse in time.
“The insinuation that we do not have enough moderators to thoroughly review all uploaded content is completely false. The fight against illegal material on the internet is driven by effective policies, data and facts. Must be led, and MindGeek is committed to staying at the forefront of this fight.”
