Mindgeek, the owner of Pornhub’s, was acquired by Ethical Capital Partners on Thursday amid a culture war over online access to sexually explicit content.
In the past, Pornhub hosted videos that depicted child sexual abuse, making it one of the largest adult entertainment websites on the internet. Visa and Mastercard suspended services from the platform after a New York Times opinion piece criticized it. Pornhub deleted all unverified content and changed who could upload to the site, but still struggled to win over its critics.
While Pornhub has been the subject of controversy, Solomon Friedman, vice president of compliance at Ethical Capital Partners, said sharing Mindgeek’s content about “sex-positive expression between consenting adults” has enormous “social, financial, and technological” value.
Friedman told Storyline World News, that Ethical Capital Partners will have “complete control” over its new assets. The firm said it is seeking investment opportunities in industries that require “principled ethical leadership.”
He has worked on litigation related to investigating, detecting, and deterring child sexual abuse for almost 15 years.
In the years following the New York Times op-ed, Mindgeek seldom spoke out, but its new owners are asserting Pornhub’s freedom.
Ethical Capital Partners acquired Mindgeek due to its tools for screening content bad behavior, according to Friedman. In addition to Mindgeek’s and Pornhub’s verified uploader program, there is also a law enforcement portal and tools for screening and tracking stolen content.
Taking these tools and sharing them with the world presents enormous untapped potential, Friedman said.
In 2021, Pornhub took slightly less time on average than other platforms to remove reported child sex abuse material (CSAM), according to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). The average response time for Pornhub to three NCMEC CSAM notifications was less than five hours, compared to a total response time of slightly more than 24 hours for all websites.
In 2021, Pornhub submitted just over 9,000 child exploitation reports to NCMEC, while Mindgeek’s other pornography websites submitted fewer than 100 reports.
In discussions about legislation and regulation, Friedman said Ethical Capital Partners would support and center the voices of sexually explicit content creators and sex workers, including what payment processors like Visa and Mastercard allow from pornography websites and sex workers.
Friedman said that he has defended sex workers and seen the stigma. There is stigma and shame, so discussions and debates are taking place without those most affected.
According to Mike Stabile, the director of public affairs for the Free Speech Coalition, the trade association for the adult industry, adult stars, and sex workers have been optimistic about the acquisition announcement.
One of the largest companies speaking out at a time when the industry is under incredible attack, legislatively and culturally, is extremely helpful, said Stabile.
Additionally, Ethical Capital Partners announced the acquisition of Mindgeek as well as the formation of an advisory board, which includes Dr. Val Webber, a doctoral candidate in community health and humanities. Webber has experience in the webcamming industry and hopes to improve the health and safety of performers and sex workers.
“My goal is for performer safety to never be sacrificed for some other kind of safety,” Webber said. “It’s things like sexual health and mental health when you are constantly monitored and having your livelihood taken away from you.”
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