The FTC and Utah accuse Pornhub’s operators of profiting from child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and nonconsensual material (NCM) despite claiming to prohibit it.
As part of a settlement, Pornhub parent Aylo must pay $5 million to Utah and implement strict safeguards to block harmful content.
The order requires Aylo to verify performers’ ages, remove unverified content, and adopt stronger privacy protections.
The Federal Trade Commission and the state of Utah announced sweeping enforcement action Wednesday against the operators of Pornhub and other pornography-streaming sites, accusing them of deceiving users while profiting from the distribution of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and nonconsensual material (NCM).
As part of a proposed settlement, Pornhub parent company Aylo—formerly known as MindGeek—will be required to implement a comprehensive program to prevent the publication of such material across its more than 100 pornographic websites, which include Pornhub, YouPorn and RedTube. The Montreal-based operator must also pay a $5 million penalty to Utah, part of a $15 million judgment suspended after partial payment.
“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.
FTC Commissioner Melissa Holyoak, speaking alongside Utah officials in Salt Lake City, said the company “inflicted grave harm on children and nonconsenting adults by promoting and distributing truly horrific material online.” Utah Gov. Spencer Cox praised the action as “an important step in protecting people from some of the most harmful and exploitative material online.”
Allegations of systemic failures
According to the FTC and Utah’s complaint, Aylo misled consumers by claiming it had a “zero tolerance” policy for CSAM while in practice failing to:
Review flagged videos promptly;
Ban uploaders who shared illegal material;
Prevent reuploads of previously identified CSAM;
Verify the ages and consent of individuals in posted videos.
Investigators found that Aylo even promoted channels and playlists explicitly referencing underage and nonconsensual themes. The company allegedly only began limited audits in 2020 after pressure from credit card processors and damaging media reports.
The complaint also accuses Aylo of deceiving performers by failing to safeguard sensitive personal data—including Social Security numbers and IDs—collected through its model program. The FTC said Aylo falsely claimed such data would remain secure, yet stored it without encryption or basic protections.
Required reforms
Under the proposed order, Aylo must:
Establish a robust program to block CSAM and NCM;
Verify that all performers are adults and gave consent;
Remove all unverified legacy content;
Post a notice of the FTC and Utah allegations on its websites;
Implement a comprehensive privacy and security program.
The measures, regulators said, are intended both to hold Aylo accountable and to prevent future exploitation of children and nonconsenting adults.