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The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the state of Utah have announced joint action against the operators of Pornhub and other pornography-streaming websites, accusing them of deceiving users while profiting from the spread of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and nonconsensual sexual content (NCM).
Under a proposed settlement order, the operators—Aylo, formerly known as MindGeek, and its affiliated companies—will be required to implement a comprehensive program to prevent CSAM and NCM from appearing on their sites. The company must also pay a $5 million penalty to the state of Utah.
“Pornhub’s operators turned a blind eye to the proliferation of videos depicting the sexual abuse of children on its sites so it could profit off this exploitation,” said Christopher Mufarrige, Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection. “Under the order we’re announcing today, Pornhub’s operators will be required to take concrete steps to block this harmful content and ensure that those who appear in videos on their sites are consenting adults.”
FTC Commissioner Melissa Holyoak, who joined Utah officials at a news conference in Salt Lake City, added, “Pornhub’s operators inflicted grave harm on children and nonconsenting adults by promoting and distributing truly horrific material online. As today’s complaint and proposed order make clear, the FTC will use every tool in its arsenal to stop such outrageous conduct.”
Utah Governor Spencer J. Cox called the proposed order a critical step. “This consent order is an important step in protecting people from some of the most harmful and exploitative material online. Companies that profit from such conduct must be held accountable. I’m grateful to the FTC and our Division of Consumer Protection for their work to safeguard Utah’s children and families.”
Aylo operates more than 100 pornographic websites, including major “tube” sites such as Pornhub, YouPorn, and RedTube, which allow users to upload videos, as well as subscription-based platforms like Pornhub Premium. Collectively, these sites attract hundreds of millions of monthly visits from U.S. consumers.
According to the complaint, Aylo misled the public by claiming it had zero tolerance for CSAM and NCM and by promising to act swiftly when users flagged such content. In reality, the company failed to review flagged videos, allowed banned material to be reuploaded, and did not verify that individuals appearing in the videos were adults who had consented. Evidence presented by the FTC included titles and playlists on Aylo’s sites that explicitly promoted abusive material, and testimony that Aylo ignored or overruled its own compliance team’s recommendations to remove exploitative content.
The FTC also charged Aylo with failing to protect the privacy and security of sensitive personal data belonging to models and performers, including Social Security numbers, government-issued IDs, and other identifying information. Although Aylo assured participants their data was secure, investigators found the company failed to encrypt the information or restrict access to it.
The proposed order imposes a $15 million penalty, suspended after the $5 million payment to Utah, and bans Aylo from misrepresenting its practices. The order also requires the company to create a prevention system for CSAM and NCM, verify the age and consent of performers, remove older content that has not been validated, notify users about the FTC’s action, and adopt a comprehensive privacy and security program.
