Anti-Trafficking Expert Laila Mickelwait on Taking Down Pornhub

The Genesis of the Takedown Campaign

• 💡 The fight against Pornhub began with a deeply disturbing story of a 15-year-old girl found on the site after being missing for a year, highlighting the monetization of child abuse.
• 🎯 Investigations by credible sources like the London Sunday Times revealed numerous illegal videos, including those featuring children as young as three, and implicated major advertisers.
• 🔑 The "Girls Do Porn" case, involving a trafficking operation run by Michael Pratt, further exposed the platform's role in distributing exploitative content.

Pornhub's Business Model and Complicity

• 🚀 Pornhub's business model, especially its free user-generated content, relied on massive uploads and ad revenue, with 4.6 billion ad impressions daily.
• 💰 A significant portion of content was pay-to-download, creating profit-sharing relationships with uploaders, including those distributing illegal material.
• ⚠️ The platform's upload system lacked robust moderation, allowing anonymous uploads with minimal verification, leading to the proliferation of illegal and non-consensual content.
• 🔍 Executives were aware of the issue, as evidenced by internal discussions about suppressing keywords related to child abuse to avoid losing revenue.

The Role of Enablers

• 🌐 Google's search engine was identified as a critical enabler, surfacing results for illegal content and having the power to suppress such sites.
• 💳 Financial institutions, including credit card companies like Visa and Mastercard, initially facilitated transactions for premium content and advertising, profiting from the platform's revenue streams.
• 🏦 Complex ownership structures involving shell companies in various offshore locations were used to hide identities and avoid responsibility.

The Fight for Accountability

• ⚖️ The "Takedown" campaign involved public pressure, petitions, and strategic litigation to hold Pornhub and its enablers accountable.
• 📢 Key moments included investigative journalism, victim testimonies, and advocacy efforts that pressured financial institutions to disengage.
• 💥 The eventual withdrawal of credit card processing led to a massive takedown of content and forced the resignation of executives, with the company eventually sold as a distressed asset.

Ongoing Challenges and Solutions

• 🚫 Despite significant progress, Pornhub still hosts content, with a focus now on mandating third-party age and consent verification for all uploads.
• 📈 The goal is to increase the risk and decrease the profitability of illegal content, serving as a deterrent to future abusers and other platforms.
• 🗣️ Public awareness and continued pressure are crucial to ensure systemic change and protect victims from exploitation.