On December 4th, 2020, The New York Times published an article by Nicholas Kristof titled ‘The Children of Pornhub’. Kristof claims the platform is “infested with rape videos” and derides it for monetizing abusive content. He calls for Canada’s authorities to investigate the case, and for major payment providers like Visa and Mastercard to review their collaboration with the platform.
The article incited public uproar, and triggered a series of events that could impact the adult industry, and also wider legislation around content moderation online, in a way that would change the internet as we know it.
How has a problem regarding content moderation become a case against the adult industry? Who is behind this narrative? Why is one of the lawyers that defended Trump during his first impeachment trial defending a victim of sexual assault and exploiting her case to call for Pornhub’s shutdown? On the POV podcast, we spoke to some of the platform’s top content creators to get their take, as well as Gustavo Turner, news editor at Xbiz, to understand how this case is yet another action in the war on porn - a crusade by various special interest groups to restrict free speech and regulate the internet.
Listen to the episode ‘On Pornhub and Freedom of Speech’ to understand the intricacies of this complex situation and the impact it might have on our lives.