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Pornhub makes it easier to report revenge porn

Pornhub makes it easier to report revenge porn

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In a move welcomed by activists, popular adult site launches new page for users to flag nonconsensual photos and videos

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Pornhub, one of the world's largest adult entertainment sites, has introduced a new feature that it hopes will make it easier for people to identify revenge porn and request its removal. In a press release published today, the site announced a new online submission form (NSFW) that revenge porn victims can use to flag any explicit videos or images that were published without their consent. Previously, revenge porn takedown requests could only be filed through email.

Pornhub, which sees around 60 million visitors a day, declined to disclose the volume of revenge-porn related requests it receives, though it says complaints have fallen by 38 percent over the past two years. It hopes that the new submission form will eliminate some of the "red tape" that victims had to cut through previously, and that it will be enough of a deterrent to reduce nonconsensual content on its platform. In its press release, the company described the new form as a "preemptive strike" against what's become a growing form of online harassment.

"It is vital that we continue to make our community feel safe."

"It is vital that we continue to make our community feel safe," Corey Price, Pornhub vice president, said in an email. "We want all Pornhub users to know that this new reporting process is for their security and peace of mind first and foremost."

Most US states and some countries have implemented laws against revenge porn, which entails explicit photos and videos distributed without the consent of those depicted. The content is often posted by disgruntled exes, though it may also be stolen and distributed without the knowledge of those involved.

Revenge porn laws have led to some convictions in the US and abroad, though it can be challenging for victims to force the removal of nonconsensual content. And once the offending materials are published online, it's notoriously difficult, if not impossible, to completely wipe them from the web.

Web companies have broader abilities to police user-generated content, and several have implemented policies that forbid nonconsensual sexual material. Sites like Google, Reddit, and Microsoft have recently cracked down on revenge porn on their platforms, though most major adult websites have yet to take similar steps.

"To my knowledge, [Pornhub] is the first major adult site to take a public stand against nonconsensual pornography or to offer a streamlined process to report it," Mary Anne Franks, a law professor at the University of Miami and vice president of the Cyber Civil Rights Initiative, said in an email. "This move by Pornhub would provide victims with a way to have their private material removed from one of the major pornography platforms, which is a significant help," she added.

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Pornhub's new submission form is designed to streamline the reporting process for revenge porn victims.

Instead of writing an email to explain the reasoning behind a takedown request, visitors to Pornhub can now file requests by filling in basic information on its online form, which is accessible through the site's support page. Users will be prompted to enter their name, email address, and the URL of the link they wish to remove. They will also be asked whether they ever agreed to the distribution of the content, and must submit a "digital signature" to verify their identity and the accuracy of their submission.

From there, Pornhub will investigate the material and remove it accordingly, though the site declined to comment on the specific processes it uses to verify the authenticity of requests, citing concerns over abuse and fraudulent reports. Unlike other adult sites, Pornhub does not require users to submit government-issued photo ID with their takedown requests. The company says it implemented that policy as a way to protect the anonymity of victims, and not deter them from coming forward.

"Being a revenge porn victim is embarrassing enough as it is," Price says, "we would rather not make the reporting process equally awkward, or make people feel apprehensive about approaching us to begin with."

David Bateman, a partner at the Pittsburgh-based law firm K&L Gates, describes the concept behind Pornhub's initiative as "fabulous," saying that "the more that websites are willing to respect the rights of revenge porn victims the better off the world is going to be." But he notes that when it comes to policing illegal content, time is of the essence.

"The quicker you get them down, the more likely it is that they will disappear forever."

"The quicker you get them down, the more likely it is that they will disappear forever," says Bateman, whose firm launched an initiative last year to provide legal support for revenge porn victims. "As a practical matter, time is very important because you really don't want people collecting them and republishing them. But once it goes viral like that, it's a nightmare for people. And there's no solution to that."

Franks, who is working with US lawmakers on national revenge porn legislation, says that Pornhub's open condemnation of revenge porn "has the potential to shift social norms and expectations about sexual entertainment." But she says the site should disable the explicit banner ads on the bottom of its submission form, and believes adult sites could generally be more proactive in making sure that nonconsensual content never makes it to their platforms in the first place. The deterrents she suggests seem easy to implement: a clearly displayed reminder that revenge porn is illegal in most US states, or a simple checkbox for users to verify that the materials they upload are being distributed with the full consent of all parties.

"If Pornhub or any other site or platform featuring adult content really wants to launch a ‘preemptive strike' ... against nonconsensual pornography, they should be focusing on truly preemptive measures, not after-the-fact procedures," Franks said.