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An anonymous plaintiff lodged a class action lawsuit complaint against MindGeek and affiliated companies that run websites, including PornHub, allegedly featuring disturbing content, including sexual assaults, rape, and even child sex abuse.
Quebec Company Runs Porn Websites Worldwide
The named defendants include Montreal-based 9219-1568 Quebec Inc., MindGeek s.a.r.l., MG Freesites Ltd, MG Freesites II Ltd, and MG Content RT Limited, collectively known as “MindGeek.” The plaintiff claims that these companies run several websites with disturbing content; however, MindGeek has incorporated numerous subsidiaries and other business entities around the world to dodge its liabilities, in addition to sheltering assets, says the plaintiff.
The class action lawsuit alleges that MindGeek and its affiliated companies reap huge profits from the nonconsensual images and videos on its websites.
“The availability of non-consensual content, including but not limited to, photos and videos of sexual abuse and sexual assault, including those of minors, on the offending websites is a direct and foreseeable result of those sites’ failure to elicit the consent of persons in the photos and videos and to comply with the applicable legal obligations,” alleges the plaintiff.
Intimate Videos Allegedly Posted Without Consent
According to the complaint, MindGeek’s websites allow users to stream and download materials that “depicts child sexual abuse material, the sexual assault of non-consenting adults, and intimate images…of adults.” The most well known of these websites is Pornhub, says the plaintiff, but many others exist, including RedTube, YouPorn, Tube8, PornMD, Thumbzilla, and Xtube.
The plaintiff points to a 2019 investigation by a UK news source that unveiled pornographic images of children and children subjected to sexual abuse on PornHub within a matter of a few minutes.
“MindGeek also hosts content for streaming and download, which depict intimate representations, including sexual acts, featuring persons who never consented to such publication,” alleges the MindGeek class action lawsuit.
The class action lawsuit alleges that MindGeek partnered with a company called GirlsDoPorn that often used fraud or coercion to get teen and college aged women to appear in intimate or pornographic content. Allegedly, many women have told the company that they were coerced into participating in the videos, but MindGeek refuses to remove the content or end its affiliation with GirlsDoPorn.
MindGeek Refuses to Remove Videos of Rape, Torture
The MindGeek class action lawsuit alleges that, instead of taking measures to ban non-consensual content and protect children, MindGeeks refuses to remove such material from PornHub and other websites or fails to remove such material within a reasonable timeframe.
According to the UK news source that investigated the ease at which child pornography can be accessed on PornHub, the materials they found had been on the site for more than three years, notes the MindGeek class action lawsuit. In addition, shocking instances of rape and torture of teenaged girls remained on the site for months despite pleas from individuals and their families to remove the content, alleges the plaintiff.
Some Material Recently Removed From Websites
According to the class action lawsuit, much of these disturbing materials were available for users to view and even download for later use from MindGeek’s websites until December of 2020.
“MindGeek waited until December, 2020, to block unverified users from uploading new content on PornHub and to suspend millions of videos uploaded by non-verified users across its platforms, including PornHub,” explains the complaint.
The plaintiff contends that these actions should have been taken more than a decade earlier to protect children, women, and others who were exploited by MindGeek’s websites. Further, despite these moves, videos of individuals who have not consented to images of their intimate acts posted on the internet are still available on PornHub and other MindGeek websites.
MindGeek Class Action Lawsuit Seeks to Protect Rights of Those in Images, Videos
“It is a fundamental human right for persons to have control over the dissemination of intimate images and videos of oneself,” states the complaint.
The class action lawsuit claims that MindGeek failed to implement policies and procedures that would have stopped nonconsensual material from reaching its websites. In addition, the companies allegedly failed to hire enough content monitors to review content.
The plaintiff seeks to represent those with intimate videos or photos of them that were posted on websites owned by MindGeek without their consent since 2007.
Have you had images or videos of you posted on a website without your consent? Do you think the site should take down videos uploaded without consent? Tell us your thoughts in the comment section below.
The lead plaintiff and proposed Class Members are represented by Siskinds Desmeules Avocats.
The MindGeek Class Action Lawsuit is Jane Doe v. 9219-1568 Quebec Inc., MindGeek S.A.R.L., et al., Case No. 500-06-, in the Province of Quebec District of Montreal, Canada.
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