This May Be Why Your Favorite PornHub Video Has Disappeared

Saying safety is its top priority, Pornhub announced it has purged all content uploaded by unverified users from its platform and banned nearly all downloads. The moves were part of several made by the adult site to crack down on the use of their platform to enable human trafficking and child sexual abuse.

"Today, we are taking major steps to further protect our community," Pornhub announced in a statement. "Going forward, we will only allow properly identified users to upload content. We have banned downloads."

The moves come as a result of a review of the site's policies by an outside group of experts. The group was empowered by Pornhub to make recommendations on how the site could eliminate "all illegal content" and create a program "that sets the standard for the technology industry."

"We have made some key expansions to our moderation process, and we recently launched a Trusted Flagger Program with dozens of non-profit organizations," Pornhub announced. "Earlier this year, we also partnered with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, and next year we will issue our first transparency report." Some have said that the move has wiped out over 60% of the content on the platform, which is one of the largest adult sites on the web.

Going forward, only content from verified partners or those within the Model Program will be permitted. Downloads have been banned with exceptions for paid downloads from within the Model Program. Pornhub will use its fingerprint identification technology to prevent content from previously banned users. The site will also expand moderation with the new Red Team to self-moderate and flag content deemed inappropriate for the site. They also launched a Trusted Flagger Program that empowers non-profit partners to alert moderators when they encounter illegal content.

The content itself will not necessarily be gone from the site for good. Instead, all unverified content will be reviewed. The new verification process will begin next year.

The move comes on the heels of a story in the New York Times that featured interviews with child sex abuse victims who had their videos uploaded to sites like Pornhub. The news left the industry shaken and looking for ways to respond more forcefully to the crisis.

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