UN experts raise concerns over online pornography platforms and digital intermediaries
UN experts have raised concerns about the role of pornography platforms, payment providers, and technology companies in enabling and monetising exploitative online content involving women and girls. The statement calls for stronger platform accountability and age and consent verification measures.
UN human rights experts have raised concerns about the role of online pornography platforms, payment providers, and internet companies in enabling and monetising sexual exploitation and non-consensual content involving women and girls.
In a statement released in Geneva, the experts focused on Pornhub and its parent company Aylo Holdings, while also referencing broader concerns involving user-generated pornography platforms, payment networks, and search and technology companies linked to online distribution systems.
The experts said businesses involved in digital content ecosystems should not avoid responsibility where their services contribute to human rights violations. They called for stronger safeguards, including mandatory third-party age and consent verification systems for user-generated pornography platforms.
The statement urged the governments of the United States and Canada to pursue stronger regulatory and legal responses. According to experts, Canada acknowledged the need to modernise privacy legislation and to strengthen accountability requirements for digital platforms that host harmful content.
The experts also raised concerns about the burden placed on victims seeking the removal of non-consensual intimate content. They said victims are often required to repeatedly report abusive material that may continue circulating online even after complaints are filed.
The statement called for stronger moderation and monitoring systems, alongside obligations for platforms to remove violent, abusive, and non-consensual content involving both adults and children.
The experts acknowledged that Aylo has introduced changes to moderation and verification practices in recent years. However, they argued that these measures followed legal action, public pressure, and investigations linked to online exploitation and failures in content verification.
The statement referenced a deferred prosecution agreement reached in the United States in 2023 involving Aylo. Under the agreement, the company accepted financial penalties, compensation measures, and external monitoring arrangements. The experts expressed concern that the arrangement may not provide full corporate accountability for harms linked to the platform’s operations.
The communication also noted ongoing engagement with companies, including Mastercard, Visa, Google, Meta, and Microsoft, regarding their role in digital infrastructure, payment systems, and traffic distribution connected to online pornography platforms.
The statement was issued by Reem Alsalem, UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls, and Ana Brian Nougrères, UN Special Rapporteur on the right to privacy. The experts serve independently under the UN Human Rights Council’s Special Procedures framework.
Why does it matter?
The discussion reflects wider international debates over platform accountability, online safety, content moderation, digital payments infrastructure, and the role of technology companies in addressing harmful and non-consensual online content.
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