Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Pornhub Halts 'Unverified' Videos Following Report of Bakersfield Teen's Plight
Randy-Reed-Image
By Randy Reed, Operations Manager
Published 4 years ago on
December 8, 2020

Share

Adult video website Pornhub said Tuesday it will halt unverified users from uploading video material after a report alleged that the pornographic website was showing videos of rape and underage sex.

The move comes after the New York Times published a story last week that included a profile of a now 19-year-old Bakersfield woman, who says underage videos of her keep appearing on the site despite repeated requests to have them removed.

Pulitzer Prize winning reporter and columnist

Over the weekend, Visa and Mastercard said that they are investigating their business relationship with Pornhub after Kristof wrote that the site also carries revenge pornography and other explicit video taken without consent of the participants.

Hedge Fund CEO Makes Offer of Educational Support to Victim

After reading the New York Times’ story, billionaire hedge fund CEO Bill Ackman offered to pay educational expenses for Fleites, who hopes to return to school to become a veterinary technician. She told Kristof that the posting of the videos when she was an adolescent led her to begin failing in school and to incidents of self-harm, including suicide attempts.

“As Fleites spiraled downward, a friend introduced her to meth and opioids, and she became addicted to both. She dropped out of school and became homeless,” Kristof wrote.

She is still in Bakersfield, he wrote, living in her car with three dogs.

Kristof’s extensive article, titled “The Children of Pornhub” raised larger questions about the business ethics of Pornhub and its affiliate sites. Kristof also asked why major credit card companies “should bolster a company that monetizes sexual assaults on children or unconscious women,” by engaging in business relationships with the company.

Credit Card Companies Challenged on Their Policies

Ackman, who founded Pershing Square Capital Management, posted a series of comments on his Twitter account Saturday challenging credit card companies to take action against Pornhub and “immediately withhold payments or withdraw until this is fixed. PayPal has already done so.”

In addition to his offer to assist Fleites with her education, he linked to a GoFundMe account that has been set up by others on her behalf. As of Tuesday, that account had raised over $51,000 from more than 1,100 donors.

Site Says It’s Banning Users from Downloading Material

Pornhub said that it doesn’t knowingly allow images of sexual abuse of children. But, in a blog post on Tuesday, the company listed steps it was taking to further protect against images of abuse and nonconsensual activity on its site.

Pornhub said next year it will announce ways in which individuals can become verified users. It will still allow new material from partners it knows, like porn production companies. The website has a huge volume of material: 6.8 million new videos were uploaded last year. The company could not say Tuesday what percentage of that was from unverified users.

Pornhub said it has hired a law firm to conduct an independent review of its content, has moderators that examine each video that is posted to the site and works with 40 organizations with a focus on child safety to monitor what it posts.

The company said that “every online platform has the moral responsibility” to join in the fight against depictions of child sexual abuse or non-consensual activity.

The site also said it was banning users from downloading material from its site.

(Associated Press contributed to this report.)

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

Judge Says Fresno Can Change Street Names: Cesar Chavez Blvd Lawsuit Tossed

DON'T MISS

The Aga Khan, Spiritual Leader of Ismaili Muslims and a Philanthropist, Dies at 88

DON'T MISS

Trump Wants US to Take Ownership of Gaza and Redevelop It After Palestinians Are Resettled

DON'T MISS

Fresno High-Speed Chase Ends in Arrests After Crash, Standoff

DON'T MISS

NFL Commish Calls Chiefs Conspiracy Theory ‘Ridiculous’ but Terrell Owens Floats One

DON'T MISS

Where Will Californians Rally During Nationwide Protest Against Trump Administration?

DON'T MISS

Estee Lauder to Cut up to 7,000 Jobs as Sales Slide

DON'T MISS

Visalia Police Arrest Three, Seize Ghost Gun and Drugs

DON'T MISS

Mexico Deploys 10,000 National Guard Members to US Border: What to Know

DON'T MISS

Trump Says the ‘Gaza Thing Has Never Worked’

UP NEXT

Fresno High-Speed Chase Ends in Arrests After Crash, Standoff

UP NEXT

Where Will Californians Rally During Nationwide Protest Against Trump Administration?

UP NEXT

Visalia Police Arrest Three, Seize Ghost Gun and Drugs

UP NEXT

A Tale of Two Local Districts: Implementing the CA Classroom Cell Phone Ban

UP NEXT

Hawaii Volcano Produces Tall Lava Fountaining in Latest Episode of Kilauea Eruption

UP NEXT

Valley Crime Stoppers’ Most Wanted Person of the Day: Daniel Huerta

UP NEXT

Dyer Endorses the Improved Safety of ‘Road Diet’ Streets

UP NEXT

Fresno, US Businesses Close Their Doors for ‘A Day Without Immigrants’

UP NEXT

Fresno Police Arrest 13 in Weekend DUI Enforcement

UP NEXT

Fresno Man With a Silver Tongue Pleads Guilty to $4.2M Fraud

Fresno High-Speed Chase Ends in Arrests After Crash, Standoff

8 hours ago

NFL Commish Calls Chiefs Conspiracy Theory ‘Ridiculous’ but Terrell Owens Floats One

8 hours ago

Where Will Californians Rally During Nationwide Protest Against Trump Administration?

8 hours ago

Estee Lauder to Cut up to 7,000 Jobs as Sales Slide

9 hours ago

Visalia Police Arrest Three, Seize Ghost Gun and Drugs

9 hours ago

Mexico Deploys 10,000 National Guard Members to US Border: What to Know

9 hours ago

Trump Says the ‘Gaza Thing Has Never Worked’

10 hours ago

First Military Flight Departs to Send Migrants to Guantanamo Bay

10 hours ago

A Tale of Two Local Districts: Implementing the CA Classroom Cell Phone Ban

11 hours ago

Hawaii Volcano Produces Tall Lava Fountaining in Latest Episode of Kilauea Eruption

11 hours ago

Judge Says Fresno Can Change Street Names: Cesar Chavez Blvd Lawsuit Tossed

Shortly after renaming eight miles of streets in south Fresno to honor labor organizer Cesar Chavez, a group of business owners and resident...

6 hours ago

6 hours ago

Judge Says Fresno Can Change Street Names: Cesar Chavez Blvd Lawsuit Tossed

The Aga Khan, spiritual head of Ismaili Muslims, listens to a speech during the inauguration of the restored 16th century Humayun's Tomb in New Delhi, India, Sept. 18, 2013. (AP File)
7 hours ago

The Aga Khan, Spiritual Leader of Ismaili Muslims and a Philanthropist, Dies at 88

7 hours ago

Trump Wants US to Take Ownership of Gaza and Redevelop It After Palestinians Are Resettled

A hit-and-run response in Fresno led to a high-speed chase, crash, and standoff, ending in two arrests after police intervention. (CHP)
8 hours ago

Fresno High-Speed Chase Ends in Arrests After Crash, Standoff

8 hours ago

NFL Commish Calls Chiefs Conspiracy Theory ‘Ridiculous’ but Terrell Owens Floats One

The 50501 Movement, a grassroots protest effort organizing demonstrations in all 50 states on February 5 to oppose fascism, emphasizes peaceful action and local participation, with planned protests at key sites, including California’s state Capitol. (GV Wire Composite)
8 hours ago

Where Will Californians Rally During Nationwide Protest Against Trump Administration?

9 hours ago

Estee Lauder to Cut up to 7,000 Jobs as Sales Slide

Three people were arrested on Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025, in Visalia after police found a ghost gun, high-capacity magazines, and drugs during a search warrant. (Visalia PD)
9 hours ago

Visalia Police Arrest Three, Seize Ghost Gun and Drugs

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend