Pornhub removes 80 per cent of videos amid claims it is 'infested' with child sexual abuse material

Pornhub has removed all content uploaded by unverified users from its platform – about 80 per cent of its total videos - in the wake of allegations that it hosts child abuse content.  

More than 10 million videos have been removed as part of the Canadian-owned pornography site's purge, according to figures on its homepage, following allegations it was 'infested' with videos of rape and underage sex. 

Since its launch in 2007, any Pornhub user signed up to the site had been able to upload their own content. 

Last week, however, Pornhub banned unverified users from posting new content, following allegations made in a New York Times column that it hosted child sexual abuse material.

Pornhub has gone a step further this week by removing all previously uploaded content that was not created by official content partners or users signed up to its Model Program initiative (who earn ad revenue from their videos).  

The site said in a statement that it has 'no tolerance' for content that shows sexual abuse of children and denied it knowingly allowed such images. 

'Any assertion that we allow CSAM [child sexual abuse material] is irresponsible and flagrantly untrue,' Pornhub said. 

It comes after Mastercard and Visa halted payments on Pornhub last week in the wake of the allegations. 

Nicholas Kristof's report in the New York Times, published December 4, asserted that among the 6.8 million new videos posted on the site each year, a majority 'probably involve consenting adults, but many depict child abuse and non-consensual violence'. 

'[The] site is infested with rape videos,' Kristof said in the article.

'It monetises child rapes, revenge pornography, spy cam videos of women showering, racist and misogynist content, and footage of women being asphyxiated in plastic bags.'

Kristof's report highlighted a number of young girls who appeared in videos uploaded to Pornhub without their consent. 

Even after the videos were flagged and removed, downloaded copies continued to circulate, often with severe personal consequences, he said. 

'Most aren't of children being assaulted, but too many are,' Kristof said of the site, which had 42 billion site visits last year. 

Under the helm of parent company MindGeek, Pornhub currently has over 22million registered users worldwide and draws a staggering 120million visitors daily, placing it above Amazon and Netflix in online traffic rankings.  

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