Pornhub disables downloads after backlash over content policies

In a statement, Pornhub said it will no longer accept uploads from unidentified users. The company said it will restrict uploads to content partners and members of the platform's Model Programme.

San Francisco: Adult entertainment website Pornhub has announced to tweak its content policies regarding uploads and downloads after a New York Times report exposed how nonconsensual videos, often involving underage girls, are being posted on the platform.

In a statement, Pornhub said it will no longer accept uploads from unidentified users. The company said it will restrict uploads to content partners and members of the platform’s Model Programme.

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Once content has been uploaded, Pornhub will block downloading content entirely, no longer allowing users to export content from the site outside of paid downloads.

The move came after a NYT report from Nicholas Kristof which initiated an intense backlash against the company and its content practices.

“Pornhub just announced huge changes: a.) allow uploads only from verified users; b.) no downloads; c.) improvements in moderation,” Kristof tweeted on Wednesday.

PornHub has also pledged to increase moderation of content currently on the platform through a newly established “Red Team.

The company has also announced to publish its first transparency report in 2021.

“A great deal depends on how responsibly Pornhub implements these, and it hasn’t earned my trust at all, but these seem significant. A great deal will also depend on whether past content, already on the site, is vetted or removed,” Kristof said in a tweet.