Carr Joins 26-State Coalition Requesting Pornhub Address Potential Child Exploitation Loophole

ATLANTA, GA – Attorney General Chris Carr today joined a 26-state coalition in sending a letter to Aylo, Pornhub’s parent company, regarding a potential “loophole” on the site that would allow for the publication of child sexual abuse material. As recently reported, an Aylo employee was captured on video discussing Pornhub’s moderation practices, including a possible workaround on the platform that could permit countless children to be victimized. When uploading content to the site, users are required to submit a photo ID. Yet they are not required to show their face in the content they upload. The employee admitted there is no way to confirm the person featured in the content is actually the same person who submitted their photo ID. When asked if rapists and human traffickers use this loophole to upload content of their victims to make money, the employee replied, “Of course.” 

“Every day, we rely on companies engaged in technology to work with us to protect children and put a stop to their abuse and exploitation,” said Carr. “The reports regarding Pornhub’s current policy are extremely concerning and would allow for the repeated victimization of those who are trafficked. This issue must be addressed immediately to ensure our most vulnerable Georgians are kept safe and traffickers are held accountable.”

In 2019, Carr created the first-of-its-kind statewide Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit. Last year, this Unit led and assisted 33 case investigations and rescued and assisted 116 victims. So far, the Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit has obtained 26 new convictions in 2023, and all of those convicted have been sentenced to prison. The Unit has 37 defendants who are currently under indictment for sex or labor trafficking, with some facing charges in multiple jurisdictions around the state.

The letter sent to Aylo states, “As you are aware, various federal and state laws forbid the creation and distribution of CSAM (Child Sexual Abuse Material). We are concerned that Aylo and its subsidiary Pornhub, and possibly other subsidiaries, may be proliferating the production and dissemination of CSAM through the ‘loophole’ identified by your employee. Please provide us with an explanation of this ‘loophole;’ whether Aylo and its subsidiaries do, in fact, permit content creators and performers to obscure their faces in uploaded content; and, if so, whether Aylo is taking measures to change this policy to ensure that no children or other victims are being abused for profit on any of its platforms.” 

In addition to Carr, the attorneys general of the following states also joined in sending the letter: Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia and Wyoming.

Find a copy of the letter here .