“`html
- A law firm based in Toronto has commenced a three-year monitoring program for Aylo Holdings, the parent company of Pornhub.
- This initiative is part of a deferred prosecution agreement established in December between Aylo’s owners and federal authorities.
- The monitoring will evaluate how effectively Pornhub manages content reviews and addresses claims of unlawful material.
New Oversight for Adult Entertainment
On Friday, a Toronto-based law firm began overseeing an independent three-year program focused on the operations of Pornhub, along with its parent organization, Aylo Holdings.
The approval from the U.S. Department of Justice regarding Henein Hutchinson Robitaille LLP was disclosed through a letter to U.S. District Judge Brian M. Cogan, designated to supervise this oversight.
Evaluating Content Moderation Practices
The appointed monitors will scrutinize how Aylo responds to copyright removal requests and screens its platforms—including major websites like YouPorn and RedTube—against illegal content such as child sexual abuse images and non-consensual videos related to sexual assault or trafficking.
This oversight stems from a deferred prosecution agreement established between Aylo and Brooklyn federal prosecutors following money laundering allegations leveled against the company in December.
As part of this agreement, Aylo (previously known as MindGeek) acknowledged having derived profits from content produced by the sex trafficking ring Girls Do Porn. In addition to engaging an independent monitor, officials within the company have paid out fines totaling $1.8 million as well as agreeing to undisclosed compensation for victims featured in illicit materials on their sites.
Crisis Over Allegations
To date, five individuals affiliated with Girls Do Porn have admitted guilt regarding federal sex trafficking charges in San Diego. The alleged ringleader Michael James Pratt was extradited from Spain back in March; he remains accused but has pleaded not guilty while awaiting potential trial proceedings.
Currently owned by Ethical Capital Partners—a Canadian private equity group—Aylo representatives Solomon Friedman and Sarah Bain were unavailable for immediate comments; however, one spokesperson confirmed that “Aylo is compliant with our DPA requirements.”
Bain previously indicated that substantial measures have been enacted at Aylo aimed at eliminating illegal content from their platforms through enhanced human moderation combined with AI technologies capable of detecting child-abuse imagery.
Calls for Comprehensive Action Against Sexual Exploitation
A representative from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Brooklyn opted not to comment publicly concerning this newly initiated supervisory arrangement.
Laila Mickelwait, an anti-trafficking activist and author known for her advocacy efforts calling for complete shutdowns of websites like Pornhub alongside legal actions against their ownership stated: “At minimum, this monitor should compel all sites under Aylo/MindGeek’s management to expeditiously remove any video lacking verified age or consent documentation.”
She emphasized that implementing such measures could necessitate eliminating millions more unverified clips still present due to ongoing issues surrounding illegal material available on their platforms.
Source
“`
