There are concerns about safety, privacy, and intellectual property in any business, but even more so in ours. That's why it's important to us to be transparent.
Here are some of the things you might be wondering about and how we're handling them.
How does Pornhub help sex workers?
Six years ago, Pornhub launched the Model Payment Program as a way for sex workers to earn revenue with their content. Since then, the program grew from less than 10 models at launch to over 175,000 amazing independent content creators who have earned tens of millions of dollars in advertising revenue. About two years ago, we launched even more ways for sex workers to earn revenue with their content, such as selling content directly, tips, custom videos, and recurring subscriptions on fan clubs.
We have partnered with a number of great organizations in the past and are currently researching various sex workers’ rights organizations and advocacy groups that Pornhub could partner with and donate to in the future – we are very open to suggestions here as well!
Pornhub is also actively working to fight against the stigma of sex work; something we’re looking to do through partnerships with like-minded organizations and facilitating open and accessible conversations about porn and the sex industry.
We first donated to SWOP-USA for International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers in December 2019. We followed up by announcing another donation and partnership on International Women’s Day and are looking forward to an exciting future working together.
Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Pornhub made an additional donation to SWOP-USA and to the Free Speech Coalition Emergency Fund to help sex workers directly impacted by the virus. Furthermore, Pornhub boosted model payout on video sales for the entire month of April.
Year after year, we have also been the top sponsor of Pineapple Support, which supports adult performers by giving access to mental health resources no matter where they’re located for little to no cost.
I’ve seen some comments say you allow underaged content and illegal content to be posted, is that true?
There has been misinformation circling on social media about our policies and procedures that we would like to clarify. Some of this stems from groups committed to abolishing the sex industry who may misrepresent these policies and procedures. First and foremost, illegal content is strictly prohibited on Pornhub. This has always been the case and will always be the case, and the safety of our users and models is our number one priority.
Upon upload, every video and photo uploaded to Pornhub is reviewed manually by a large and extensive team of moderators looking for illegal content. This sets us apart from other platforms like Twitter or YouTube as well as other adult sites and allows us to act swiftly and promptly for users who violate our Terms of Service.
In addition, we use automated detection technologies on uploads such as YouTube's CSAI Match and Microsoft's PhotoDNA as added layers of protection to keep unauthorized content off the site.
Finally, we also review any flags or content removal reports for illegal content. We have a dedicated community that works actively to ensure that content adheres to our TOS and rapidly flags anything questionable for review/removal. Any content removal requests we receive on our content removal form are prioritized and expedited faster than any other type of support request and acted upon within hours, not days.
If ever we come across CSAM, the videos are fingerprinted so they cannot be re-uploaded, and the user is banned. We report the user and the uploads to the National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) who will work with global authorities. If authorities ever need more information, we provide anything they need to assist their investigations.
While we – and the technology community as a whole – must work together to rid the internet of CSAM, we feel strongly that what Pornhub is doing is having a positive impact. We work dilligently and are committed to to keeping our platform safe. All illegal content, in addition to content that breaches our Terms of Use, is immediately removed as soon as it is detected.
For more info, check out our policies and guidelines on our Trust and Safety page.
How does Pornhub prevent piracy on the platform?
Pornhub is a community where everyone is welcome to share their content, be they a studio, affiliate, amateur, artist, model, or anyone else. As is the standard on most streaming and content-sharing platforms, like YouTube and Twitter, it is the uploader’s responsibility to ensure that all performers in the content they’re uploading to Pornhub are consenting adults.
However, we do verify the ownership of every video uploaded to Pornhub. Every upload is scanned against a third party database of fingerprinted content to verify the ownership belongs to the uploader. If there is a match that doesn’t belong to the uploader, the video is automatically removed. We strongly encourage content creators/owners to digitally fingerprint their work, which is free to do (we cover the cost) and really helps keep content off of undesired platforms (Read more about how to fingerprint your content). If there was an unauthorized upload on Pornhub because the content was not fingerprinted, then you can file a copyright takedown here.
Anyone set up for content monetization via the Model Program on our site can also transfer any earnings from unauthorized uploads of their work to their account by opening a ticket via models@pornhub.com.
Furthermore, all exclusive models in our Model Program have free DMCA protection where we scan content and issue takedowns on their behalf on the top 100 free sites for no extra fee. Read more about the advantages of being tubes exclusive.
Why did PayPal ban model payouts?
PayPal asked us to stop paying out models with their platform last November. We were devastated by PayPal’s decision to stop payouts to over one hundred thousand models who relied on them for their livelihood. It was no secret that there are many difficulties faced by both individuals and companies involved in the sex industry when it comes to dealing with financial institutions, including PayPal. They made a statement to the media that we had made payments without seeking their permission, a permission we were not aware we had to seek.
Since PayPal made that decision, in addition to the payment methods we already had, we’ve added more ways to get paid: SEPA, CosmoPayment, Direct Deposit in Australia, as well as cryptocurrency USDT and will continue to add more.
Do you publish people’s information along with DMCA takedown notices?
On the DMCA takedown form, people are able (and encouraged) to use their stage name when notifying us on infringing content that needs to be removed from our platform. We do not publish full names, in case someone does send a full name and didn’t mean to.
We have never released personal information, even for valid counter-claims — this is all settled privately through email communication only.
A few years ago, we added an alternative form that doesn’t require a DMCA notice to remove unwanted content, as DMCA law can be cumbersome in that it requires personal information.
How do we fight racism and misogyny on your platform?
Unfortunately, there’s a ton of racism and misogyny in the sex industry (and in society as a whole), and because Pornhub is a community-built platform, it comes through sometimes, no matter how hard we try to be fair and respectful. We’re trying to push the industry in the right direction (for example, changing the t slur to trans on our site), but unfortunately, search terms used by the general public are slow to change — but it is happening! Ultimately, we want models to have full control over which identifiers, terms, and words they market and define themselves with.
Meaning and nuance from one country to another can also make it challenging to monitor. The way in which one model in one country thinks of themselves can be seen as rude or can counter the way another thinks on the other side of the world. We respect models’ self-autonomy to run their own business on our site as they see fit.
What is Pornhub's effect on the ever changing adult industry?
Streaming technology has caused shifts in several industries, resulting in changes in the ways that creators monetize their work. We have seen this in the transportation industry, music, TV, film, and yes, the adult industry as well. While Pornhub does not create content, we are partnered with and license content from a number of creators still operating within the traditional studio model. Pornhub also offers creators many different ways to monetize their work, namely the Content Partner Program, Model Program, and Modelhub. These programs are designed for creators to be able to retain full control over where their work is visible, how they want to price it, and how often they want to release it. We have several model coordinators on our team dedicated to helping models succeed and achieve their goals through our programs.
Over the last decade, there has been a shift that has put more power in the hands of independent creators who can create content, earn royalties, and control their content on adult platforms and programs. By creating a space for independent creators to monetize their own content, the industry has opened up to a global market, allowing those who did not have physical access to studios or who traditionally were not hired by studios, to be able to be part of the industry.
We believe that enabling creators to release their content entirely on their terms, while retaining 100% of the rights and royalties they earn, is in fact the best way for creators to monetize in today's industry landscape.
How does Pornhub keep minors off their website?
We believe that parental guidance and education are of the utmost importance when it comes to young people and their developing sexuality. To take precaution against minors engaging with the site, Pornhub has RTA labeling on all pages for automatic blocking by all parental control and filtering software. It is imperative that parents ensure that all devices that they entrust to their children are set up with proper age restrictions and to regularly monitor their children's online activity.
We also launched the Pornhub Sexual Wellness Center under the direction of Dr. Laurie Betito in 2017, which features many articles on how parents and educators can tackle these topics with kids.
I'm curious about pay scales/compensation for videos in the model program.
Amateurs in our Model program are paid 80% to 90% of the ad revenue that the videos earn. The more ad views on their videos, the more they make. Good content can get millions of views and make thousands of dollars. We also have the option for models to sell their downloads on free videos or sell the video instead of offering it for free. We are currently paying out 85% of video sales for the month of April to assist models struggling through unprecedented times brought on by COVD-19.
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