In the PornHub court case, Aylo Holdings (formerly MindGeek S.A.R.L.), the parent company of Pornhub, one of the world’s largest porn websites, was charged with engaging in unlawful monetary transactions involving sex trafficking proceeds. It entered into a deferred prosecution agreement (DPA) with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York to resolve the charge. Aylo has acknowledged profiting from sex trafficking and agreed to compensate women whose videos were uploaded without consent following an announcement by federal prosecutors in New York.
Details of the Legal Agreement
Aylo Holdings reached a deferred prosecution agreement to settle charges of engaging in unlawful monetary transactions involving the proceeds of sex trafficking. The U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Breon Peace, outlined the deal’s terms, including a payment of $1,844,952.83 to the United States. Aylo has also agreed to provide monetary payments to victims whose images were posted on Aylo’s platforms.
The DPA provides for the appointment of a monitor (Monitor) for three years. The Monitor will be tasked with assessing the company’s compliance with the terms of the DPA. The Monitor will also evaluate the strength and thoroughness of Aylo’s due diligence protocols for its content partners and content programs
Background of the Case
The charges against Aylo arose from its involvement with GirlsDoPorn, an adult film production company whose operators were convicted of various sex trafficking crimes. Prosecutors found that between 2017 and 2020, Aylo received funds from GirlsDoPorn (GDP)’s sex trafficking operations and failed to adequately remove nonconsensual videos despite direct appeals from the victims.
Prosecutors noted that Aylo received over $100,000 from GirlsDoPorn and approximately $764,000 from advertisers linked to the production company from 2017 to 2020. In response to the agreement, Aylo Holdings, formerly known as MindGeek, expressed deep regret for hosting content from GirlsDoPorn, claiming unawareness of the fraudulent and coercive means used to obtain consent from the women in the videos.
EU Regulation and Company Compliance
This agreement follows the European Union’s recent announcement requiring Pornhub and other major porn sites to verify users’ ages, in line with the Digital Services Act. Aylo has stated its commitment to complying with the Deferred Prosecution Agreement and emphasized that it is not pleading guilty to any crime.
