Pornhub's owner ordered to compensate sex trafficking victims with $1.8 million

The parent company of Pornhub, Aylo, has agreed to pay $1.8 million to the US government after being accused of profiting from sex trafficking. US officials claim that Aylo ignored reports of women being deceived and coerced into videos on the site. The allegations against Aylo relate to its hosting of content and receiving payments from Girls Do Porn (GDP), a third party. Despite being aware of the sex trafficking allegations, Aylo continued to accept money from GDP. The women involved in the videos stated that they were coerced to have sex on camera and were deceived about how the material would be shared. In 2021, Aylo settled out of court with 50 women and changed its name from MindGeek. The company also owns other popular adult websites like Youporn, Brazzers, and Redtube. Aylo has been accused of knowingly receiving money from GDP's sex trafficking operations, which affected over 400 victims. One GDP producer, Ruben Andre Garcia, was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison and had to pay $18 million in restitution to the women. The recent settlement with Aylo is known as a deferred prosecution agreement, which means that the company could face prosecution if it violates the terms of the deal within the next three years. The company will be monitored by authorities and evaluated based on factors like its moderation policy, content screening, and efforts to filter out illegal videos. The United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York stated that the agreement holds Aylo accountable for its role in hosting the videos and accepting payments from criminal actors who coerced women into sexual acts without their consent. Aylo has stated that it did not know the consent forms from the women in the videos were obtained under coercion and that it is not pleading guilty to any crime. The government has agreed to dismiss its charge against the company after three years, provided it complies with the Deferred Prosecution Agreement. The hope is that this settlement brings some closure to those negatively impacted by the situation.