AGs demand answers on pornography site over predator loophole

Ohio Auditor Dave Yost

Ohio Auditor Dave Yost

A potential loophole that could let predators share videos of child sexual abuse on Pornhub has Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost and 25 of his counterparts demanding answers from the company behind the website.

“Without airtight safeguards, a website like this can become a haven for child molesters, rapists and other abusers,” Yost said. “It appears the people in charge left the gate unlocked for predators, and the company needs to explain itself.”

In a letter to Aylo, Pornhub’s Montreal-based parent company, the attorneys general question Pornhub’s practices for vetting user-uploaded content to ensure participants are consenting adults, rather than victims of child sex abuse and other crimes, according to a statement released Friday by Yost’s office.

The inquiry was prompted by an undercover journalist’s recorded conversations with an Aylo technical product manager, who said there is no guarantee the people shown in the uploads are participating willingly and legally, the statement read.

In their letter, the AGs seek Aylo’s response to the claims and an explanation of the company’s plan to fix the alleged loophole, so no children or other victims are abused for profit on its platforms.

Aylo and Pornhub are no strangers to controversy. Formerly known as MindGeek, the company changed its name to Aylo in August amid lawsuits alleging it profits from child pornography and videos of nonconsensual sex, Yost’s office stated.

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