Pornhub sets standard for verification, moderation and detection

pornhub sfw

Pornhub recently announced a series of industry-leading safety and security policies that will set the standard for compliance programs in the technology and social media industries. These comprehensive measures for verification, moderation and detection will ensure Pornhub is the safest platform online, and at the forefront of combating and eradicating illegal content. The safety and security policies have been adopted across all of Pornhub’s parent company, MindGeek’s, properties.

These new measures come on the heels of the Pornhub’s recent unprecedented step of banning content from unverified uploaders, an industry first among tech and social media platforms.

These new measures were adopted in conjunction with an independent review conducted by Kaplan Hecker & Fink LLP of the company’s content compliance program. Kaplan Hecker & Fink LLP’s ongoing review, which commenced in April 2020, focuses on Pornhub and other MindGeek platforms’ moderation practices and other procedures for preventing users from uploading non-consensual content, child sexual abuse material (CSAM), and any other content that lacks the consent of all parties depicted on Pornhub and other MindGeek websites.

Pornhub is working to implement changes in the following areas: content standards, content uploading and review processes, content removal and user exclusion, partnerships, relationships with law enforcement and NGOs, and wellness and harm reduction.

“We have been retained to conduct an independent review of MindGeek’s content compliance function with a focus on eliminating all non-consensual content, child sexual abuse material and any other content uploaded without the meaningful consent of all parties from Pornhub and other MindGeek websites,” said Kaplan Hecker & Fink LLP. “The goal of the independent review, which is ongoing, is to identify steps that MindGeek can take to achieve a content compliance program that sets the standard for the technology industry.”

“When we joined Pornhub in 2008, our goal was to create the most inclusive community on the internet. It was designed to celebrate freedom of expression, to value privacy, and to empower people from all walks of life. We knew this could only be possible by ensuring our users’ safety and security,” said Feras Antoon, CEO of MindGeek, and David Tassillo, COO of MindGeek. “Over the years, we have demonstrated our resolute commitment to leading the fight against illegal online content: we have created and implemented the most robust security and safety policies online, setting the standard for tech and social media platforms across the board. Most recently, we have taken unprecedented steps to protect our community. These include banning uploads from unverified users, retaining the firm Kaplan Hecker & Fink LLP, since April 2020, to help establish a best-in-class safety and security program, and partnering with dozens of leading non-profit experts. Every online platform has the responsibility to join this fight, and it requires collective action and constant vigilance.”

Pornhub’s comprehensive safety and security measures include:

Upload Verification: Only verified users are able to upload content to Pornhub and other MindGeek platforms. This includes studio content partners and those who have been verified within the Model Program. Going forward, anyone seeking verification within the Model Program must confirm their identity with Yoti, the leading digital identity verification solution, by providing a current photo and government-approved identification document. Yoti will check the validity of the ID document and match the user’s ID document to their photo using secure biometric technology. This verification process will serve as an added layer of protection in Pornhub’s uploader verification system.

Banning Downloads: Pornhub and MindGeek’s other video sharing platforms have removed the ability for visitors to download content, with the exception of paid downloads from verified users in the Model Program who have provided express consent to having their content downloaded. In tandem with fingerprinting technology, this will mitigate the ability for content that has been removed from the platform to return.

Expanded Moderation: Pornhub has worked to create comprehensive measures that help protect visitors from illegal content. Pornhub and all MindGeek platforms have a live content audit team dedicated solely to self-auditing the platforms for potentially illegal material. This team provides an extra layer of protection on top of the existing protocol, proactively screening content already uploaded for potential violations and identifying any breakdowns in the moderation process. Additionally, while the list of banned keywords on Pornhub is already extensive, the company continues to identify additional keywords for removal on an ongoing basis. They also regularly monitor search terms within the platform for increases in phrasings that attempt to bypass the safeguards in place. Pornhub’s content moderation includes an extensive team of human moderators dedicated to manually reviewing every single upload, a thorough system for flagging, reviewing and removing illegal material, robust parental controls, and utilization of a variety of automated detection technologies.

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