(THEME MUSIC PLAYS)
REPORTER: We started this investigation
REPORTER: like any other internet user,
by typing in one five-letter word -
'porno'.
On the internet pornography is accessible everywhere all the time.
All you have to do to access thousands of free websites
is to declare that you're over 18, even if you're actually underage.
We viewed hours and hours of videos on these platforms.
So, what stood out to us?
It was the amateur content that appeared to have been put online
without the consent of the people featured.
For some of these people,
life is a nightmare For some of these people,
life is a nightmare they can't wake up from.
(BIRDS SQUALL, WATER LAPS)
Fairhaven, Massachusetts, USA.
(SHIP HORN BLOWS)
A peaceful small town with just 15,000 residents.
But for one of them
this quiet haven But for one of them
this quiet haven has become a living hell.
KATE: I didn't want to be in public.
I just felt like, being in public, I was nude constantly.
I covered up like crazy.
I would be in the store, I would have stuff,
and then I thought somebody was following me
and then I thought or recognised me.
And I would just put my stuff down and walk out. I just have to leave.
I don't know, I, like... I lost me.
OK.
So, what happened to me,
in a couple of sentences,
I would say, you know, my name is Katelynn Spencer,
there are two sexual videos of me online all over the internet
there are two sexual videos of me on different porn sites
by...that was uploaded easily
by someone that I was friends with for 10 years.
My life did an entire 180 because of these videos.
Kate's world came crashing down in May 2020.
One day, some friends told her
that a guy she had hooked up with in her youth
had posted two intimate videos with her on porn sites.
In 2020
she was 30 years old with a husband, a house, a job
she was 30 years old and hopes and dreams.
Today, Kate has none of those things.
But no-one can take away her fighting spirit,
But no-one which is why she's now speaking out.
And now it's like, "Yeah, I had sex and I sucked his dick."
And now it's like, "Yeah, Who the fuck hasn't done that
if they are being intimate Who the fuck hasn't done that
if they are being intimate with someone?
if they are being intimate I didn't do anything wrong.
If this is what these people want to do and put this video out there,
that's on them,
there has...like, as long as there's consent.
Kate had heard of Pornhub, but only in passing.
My friend said she took screenshots of them and showed it,
My friend said she took screenshots and that's where I saw it.
One of the videos had 970,000 views
and the other one had 50,000.
Her former friend Gage
had posted these two videos of them Her former friend Gage
had posted these two videos of them being intimate
via his personal Pornhub account in 2010...
..freely available for all the world to see.
The one with the most views was three minutes and 32 seconds long.
Kate immediately contacted Gage, who she had lost touch with.
But it was too late.
Over the past 10 years...
I have all notes...
..these freely available videos have spread all over the internet.
Kate has kept track of them in these notebooks.
So, there's a list of all the sites I'm on.
There's more on the back.
She has encountered 45 sites.
(INDISTINCT CHATTER)
And there's another even bigger number to consider.
How many views in total? Have you made...
How many views in total? I've counted up to 5 million.
That's about it.
5 million? Mm.
5 million? 4 to 5 million.
I just think of it as being virtually raped.
So many people have touched themselves to it.
So many people The comments are disgusting.
Kate has tried to have the videos deleted on two of these platforms
Kate has tried to have the videos without success.
She has given up.
Disney...if somebody tries
to copyright Disney's music and put it up,
to copyright Disney's music it's instantly taken down.
I'm still up.
13 years.
12, 13 years. I'm still up.
A life in tatters.
Put to the test, Kate's marriage didn't survive.
Psychiatrists have diagnosed her with post traumatic stress syndrome.
How can these big porn websites
publish videos without the consent of the people in them?
The search for answers
took us hundreds of miles away to Pornhub's turf.
We travelled north to Canada.
Montreal - a frosty minus-10 degrees Celsius.
Behind Pornhub is an enormous company, MindGeek,
second in the world in its industry.
second in the world Its logo is a light bulb,
but this giant conglomerate's Its logo is a light bulb,
but this giant conglomerate's business
but this giant conglomerate's is pornography on a colossal scale.
Its last reported annual revenue figure
dating back to 2018 - five years ago -
was 460 million euros.
As well as Pornhub, its flagship platform,
MindGeek runs four other very popular free porn sites.
In total upwards of 3 billion visits
per month.
Our first move was to approach MindGeek
to shoot a film about how its platforms work.
to shoot a film We sent an email, with no reply...
..followed by numerous phone calls...
..at all hours from all over.
91 phone calls to be exact.
RECORDING: Please leave a message 91 phone calls to be exact.
RECORDING: Please leave a message after the tone.
When you have finished, please hang up.
When you have finished, MindGeek Montreal never responded,
even when we turned up on their doorstep.
Hello, sir!
Yes?
I'd like to go to the reception, please.
In fact, there isn't even a public entrance.
I see a reception and the name MindGeek.
This is only security. We are security here.
(PHONE LINE RINGS)
According to one former employee in the communications department,
According to one former employee this silence is company policy.
But what about ex-employees?
In Montreal there must be a ton.
After all, the X-rated giant says it has around 1,000 workers
on its payroll here.
Except the same rule applies.
Even when you're no longer employed by MindGeek,
you have to agree in writing not to talk to journalists.
you have to agree in writing Ever.
Despite the risks...
Yeah, hi!
..multiple ex-employees agreed to speak to us.
To preserve their anonymity, their voices have been disguised.
These silhouettes will stand in for them.
These six people have held different positions in the company,
some of them for several years and until very recently.
They're going to share their experiences
They're going to share behind the scenes at MindGeek.
However, officially, MindGeek claims to be extremely attentive
However, officially, MindGeek claims when it comes to their content.
The conglomerate addresses when it comes to their content.
The conglomerate addresses the issue of consent through Aria,
The conglomerate addresses the Pornhub ambassador.
Hi. I'm Pornhub Aria,
and I'm so pleased to explain to you Hi. I'm Pornhub Aria,
and I'm so pleased to explain to you how Pornhub works
as well as what you can expect from Pornhub as a brand.
as well as what you can expect Nice to meet you, Pornhub Aria.
The sharing of non-consensual intimate images,
The sharing sometimes called 'revenge porn',
is an issue that is taken sometimes called 'revenge porn',
is an issue that is taken especially seriously by Pornhub.
is an issue that is taken There is a zero-tolerance policy
for non-consensual content on Pornhub, period.
(DIALOGUE FADES)
And they promise they will stop at nothing to handle the issue.
And they promise they will stop (FADED DIALOGUE)
..and moderating all content
with cutting-edge automated ..and moderating all content
with cutting-edge automated detection technologies
with cutting-edge automated and a team of human moderators.
But what about the videos of Kate
posted on Pornhub without her knowledge?
That wasn't an anomaly in the system.
These videos, obtained without consent,
might be fundamental cogs in the MindGeek machine.
(ELECTRICITY CRACKLES)
Back in Paris we're conducting an experiment.
This is Sophie,
editor-in-chief.
She's going to sign up on Pornhub.
This is the first step.
To be able to post videos This is the first step.
To be able to post videos on the site,
To be able to post videos there's a mandatory condition -
to sign up as a verified user
with your real identity to sign up as a verified user
with your real identity proven by supporting documents.
Once she's been accepted as a verified member,
Once she's been accepted it's on to the next step...
..uploading.
Sophie's now going to post a video of a sexual nature.
One of a young woman who agreed for the purposes of our investigation
One of a young woman who agreed for to film herself doing a striptease.
Sophie also gives it a title
indicating that it's not her in the video.
Before posting it, Pornhub asks her to certify and confirm
that all of the individuals appearing in the content she is uploading
consent to appear in it, are over 18
and, above all, approve the sharing of this content online on Pornhub.
Simple enough.
Sophie confirms.
The video now needs to be validated by a moderator.
Pornhub say it themselves on their site -
"Our team of moderators and support staff
"work 24 hours a day, seven days a week,
"in order to review all uploaded content
"and remove all non-consensual content that we identify
"and remove all non-consensual "or of which we are made aware."
At this stage you'd expect Pornhub to ask Sophie to prove
that she really has the agreement of the young woman
who did the striptease.
After all, the site also says this -
"The distribution of intimate images without someone's consent
"is strictly prohibited."
Two hours and nine minutes later
our video is online.
Pornhub didn't request a scrap of proof.
Nevertheless, its branding has been tacked on.
(ELECTRONIC TRILLING)
After two hours and nine minutes
our video is accessible everywhere on the planet.
We'll leave it up for a few days before deleting it.
Some of the former employees we spoke to
were partly responsible for the verification procedures
were partly responsible on MindGeek's free websites.
They confirmed our findings.
MARIE: Have you ever been instructed that,
when you saw a video with a girl on it,
you had to ask the owner of the video
you had to ask for proof of consent of the girl?
Like, maybe both parties have to upload
their...maybe their ID, have to upload
their...maybe their ID,
something to show there's consent on both ends,
but no, nothing.
It doesn't matter if they had consent unless they get caught.
That's pretty much their point of view.
Hm.
This may explain all the problematic videos we found on Pornhub.
Needless to say, we then flagged these videos to MindGeek as users...
..their pieces of content posted by amateurs
and thus approved by moderators of the site.
As on the page of this user, for example,
which has racked up almost 6 million views
with just six videos.
He always has the same MO...
..women who've fallen on hard times,
prostitutes and addicts.
Alright, today we have Courtney here.
How are you today, Courtney? Hey. Good. How are you?
How are you today, Courtney? Do you mind me asking you, Courtney,
how did you get, you know, addicted to these kind of...
Yeah...
He is also always accompanied by the same friend there in the background.
He is also always accompanied by the And, every time
the two men splash out on sex And, every time
the two men splash out on sex for a fee of a few dollars.
25. I thought I'd drop one.
Alright. Thanks.
At the end of the video...
OK, we're gonna walk down this way. At the end of the video...
OK, we're gonna walk down this way.
Alright. Alright. Good luck.
Good luck.
..the man is addressing viewers on Pornhub.
And that's a wrap. Enjoy, everybody.
And sometimes the women featured clearly ask not to be filmed.
The added graphic here isn't ours.
There you have it.
And this video has been online There you have it.
And this video has been online on Pornhub for two years.
There is a zero-tolerance policy for non-consensual content,
There is a zero-tolerance policy period.
These cases are far from exceptions.
We've identified a user on the site who frequently posts amateur videos.
His username is 1stBlackZoro.
To contact him, we created a pseudonym, Mauricette777.
In 2022 alone he posted about 50 videos,
In 2022 alone all stealthily filmed,
like this one -
fellatio performed by a homeless woman in exchange for food.
How did he manage to get this video published on Pornhub
How did he manage to get this video along with all the others?
This user confirmed being able to post videos
without having to provide proof of consent.
Far from MindGeek's public commitments.
But who are the men behind this system?
H was a manager at the conglomerate. But who are the men behind this system?
H was a manager at the conglomerate.
He rubbed shoulders with higher-ups
at the very top of MindGeek's food chain.
For these shareholder executives,
transparency has never been on the agenda.
Except on one occasion.
In December 2020
a shock wave hit Montreal.
The prestigious New York Times published a shock article -
The prestigious New York Times The Children Of Pornhub.
According to the American paper,
the site is overrun with videos According to the American paper,
the site is overrun with videos of rape, minors, revenge porn
and other stolen, racist and misogynist content.
Pornhub immediately set about cleaning house
and deleted several million videos.
But the scandal was taken up by the Canadian authorities
at the highest possible level -
in Ottawa at the federal government headquarters.
During a government question session
the prime minister, Justin Trudeau,
was directly addressed by the leader of the opposition.
So, a law was promised.
But rather than waiting in the House of Commons,
a committee of MPs mounted a fact-finding mission on Pornhub
and summoned its executives.
In February 2021
remote hearings broadcast in full.
If you want to unmute yourself when you're prepared to speak,
and then we'll have some questions for you once...
and then we'll have To this day
it's the only public appearance To this day
it's the only public appearance the MindGeek directors have made.
Good afternoon. My name is Feras Antoon.
I'm the chief executive officer of Les Entreprise MindGeek Canada.
MindGeek is one of the largest, most well-known brands I'm the chief executive officer of Les Entreprise MindGeek Canada.
MindGeek is one of the largest, most well-known brands
in the online adult entertainment space.
Our flagship website, Pornhub...
..and reports every instance...
Meet Marie-Helene Gaudreau.
..when we are aware of it.
At the time
the MP was vice president of the committee in charge of the hearings.
Madame Gaudreau, we'll turn to you.
Of course, we are very sorry if this has caused any impact on victims,
but I can tell you and tell the committee
we are very proud
that we built a product that gets 170 million people a day,
4 million Canadians, 30% of them women, a day.
We created a very good product that I am proud of,
that our 1,800 employees who have families and children are proud of.
that our 1,800 employees who have Now, it is not perfect.
A long way from the world of Kate, for example,
who we also showed clips from these hearings.
It's a private company, and I don't understand the relevance
of what a private company makes has to do with...
(LAUGHS) That's private. Really? So the fuck was my naked body!
How dare you say that's your priv... Really?
You're concerned about saying a number? A fucking number?
Look at the numbers on the views on my fucking video.
How much of that made you money?
(INAUDIBLE DIALOGUE)
After four months of work,
the MPs produced a report After four months of work,
the MPs produced a report with their recommendations,
recommendations yet to come to fruition,
much like the law promised by the Prime Minister,
which never materialised.
At the time of filming
Feras Antoon At the time of filming
Feras Antoon and David Tassillo,
Feras Antoon the MindGeek top dogs,
had left their roles,
but they remain shareholders.
In Montreal
we're following a new lead,
an address registered as headquarters
for several subsidiaries of the company.
It's down here, a respectable neighbourhood.
Last turn on the right.
Apparently this second head office is also Feras Antoon's house.
Time to try our luck at his door.
(DOORBELL RINGS)
(INSIDE) Hello? Yeah, hello! Hi!
My name is Marie Maurice.
I'm a French journalist with the French National Public Television.
I'd like to see Mr Feras Antoon if he's here, please.
No, he's not here. Thank you. Bye.
Excuse me, we've been trying to reach him for many months now
and we have some important questions that we need to ask.
Is there any chance you could give me an address
Is there any chance where I can write him on?
(RINGS DOORBELL)
(DOG YAPS)
On with the investigation.
We've discovered that MindGeek might not stop
at approving problematic content.
They might even push you to watch it
all in the name of getting more clicks.
The city of Brighton.
Here we've arranged to meet with two experts on online pornography.
Here we've arranged to meet with (CLAPS)
CREW: So, can you please speak?
Sure. This is me speaking. CREW: So, can you please speak?
Sure. This is me speaking. Can you hear me?
Yeah, and same for me.
Fiona Vera-Gray is a sociologist.
And Clare McGlynn is a law professor.
And Clare McGlynn Their research analyses the content
included on the home pages Their research analyses the content
included on the home pages of popular free porn sites...
..like Pornhub.
What interests me about those front pages ..like Pornhub.
What interests me about those front pages
is that these are what the porn companies are choosing
to show to the first-time user, the porn companies are choosing
to show to the first-time user,
holding them to account for the material they're showing
to first-time users.
And first-time users, obviously, generally speaking,
And first-time users, obviously, being young teenagers,
particularly teenage boys.
You know, some of the titles, quite a lot of the titles, particularly teenage boys.
You know, some of the titles, quite a lot of the titles,
had like a jokey banter. quite a lot of the titles,
had like a jokey banter.
Um... A couple that I remember...
fiend hates cum in her mouth. LOL."
There was one that was like, "Dope fiend hates cum in her mouth. LOL."
"LOL. Hahaha."
"Watch me ejaculate into the mouth of a woman who is addicted to coke."
And that being available freely
on the front page of mainstream porn site.
Routinely, the harm against women and girls
is being normalised and trivialised and sexualised
and sold to the next generation as a bit of a laugh,
and sold to the next generation it's a bit of a joke,
but it also has massive impacts in terms of men and boys
and some of the messages that are going out to them
and some of the messages about their own sexuality
and what they should find sexually arousing.
The experts have found a way to measure this impact
in this study published in The British Journal of Criminology.
In 2017
over the course of six months
they looked exclusively at the titles of videos visible on the home page.
Their study tackled the three most visited porn websites on the planet -
Their study tackled the three most Pornhub, Xhamster and Xvideos.
They then selected the titles describing sexual violence,
They then selected the titles which fit into four categories -
sexual activity between family members,
coercion and exploitation,
sexual assaults
and image-based sexual abuse.
So, what we found
was that 1-in-8 of the titles that we found on the front page
was that 1-in-8 of the titles represented sexual violence.
So, law of averages,
every time someone is opening up and is going to one of the front pages
every time someone is opening up and of these mainstream porn sites,
there's going to be or there probably is going to be
some kind of depiction there of sexual violence.
After the revelations of the Pornhub scandal,
have the big porn platforms evolved?
With the permission of the two experts,
we reconducted their experiment...
..on the same websites
using a special program
to record the titles using a special program
to record the titles of all the videos on the home pages
to record the titles over four and a half months.
We then sorted the 17,508 results
according to the same categories as those used by the researchers.
Returning to Brighton with our findings...
..the situation appears to be worse in 2022.
It's no longer 1-in-8 titles that mention sexual violence
but almost 1-in-5,
such is the conclusion of our analysis.
such is the conclusion (LAUGHS) We should have done that.
Along with this new information,
we also present the experts
with a huge book we also present the experts
with a huge book listing all the titles included.
So, 1-in-5?
1-in-5 titles So, 1-in-5?
1-in-5 titles describes sexual violence?
1-in-5 titles Yeah.
So, you know, that's...
So, what we're seeing there So, you know, that's...
So, what we're seeing there from your study,
So, what we're seeing there from our study to your study,
is an increase in the descriptions and representations
is an increase in the descriptions of sexual violence.
People might have assumed of sexual violence.
People might have assumed it would have reduced
over the last number of years.
Because Pornhub, for example,
removed so much material,
you might have thought that the companies would have taken action
to reduce the amount of sexually violent content.
But what you found is that's not the case.
And, in flicking through our list,
the researchers noticed that a particular type of content
is overrepresented.
I can very much see as well
that you found, like, the vast majority is family,
that you found, which is what we found as well.
So, this is just the first page
that I've looked at,
and I can see the first one is,
"Stepmum lets stepson fuck her and I can see the first one is,
"Stepmum lets stepson fuck her whilst cleaning the bathtub."
"Dad fucks young stepdaughter after school."
The experts have identified a strategy put in place
The experts have identified by the platforms.
So, in some of the incest,
you're right, they're not labelled 'incest',
but you get something like, "Brother fucks NOT sister."
but you get something like, And, so, they're deliberately trying
to say that this is not actual, you know, sexual violence
because it's 'NOT sister'.
But, of course, they're putting in those words
so that when you search for 'brother and sister',
it's bringing it up.
So, it's the same with...
MindGeek might indeed modify the titles that mention incest.
This was confirmed to us by former employees of the company.
So, the formatter would have that
or they would ask the user to change the title?
MindGeek might even go a step further,
as far as commissioning videos from production studios
that deliberately cash in on sexual activity between family members.
This time the content is destined for websites that charge a fee.
The department in question is Scriptwriting.
Several of these ex-employees worked in it,
an essential cog in the MindGeek machine.
We got our hands on confidential documents
outlining MindGeek's management of these productions,
schedules spanning several years
for shoots MindGeek assigned to external studios...
..studios required
to produce the script ..studios required
to produce the script sent over by MindGeek to the letter
to produce the script with every detail stipulated.
Set decoration.
Outfits.
Dialogue.
Scripts drawn up according to strict internal instructions,
each site with its own compulsory content.
Here are various elements required to keep in mind
when writing for any of the subsites listed below.
And, in some cases,
the conglomerate openly intends to portray problematic situations
such as sexual activity between family members.
The instructions are crystal-clear.
For their site, Moms Lick Teens,
a stepmother and stepdaughter For their site, Moms Lick Teens,
a stepmother and stepdaughter are required.
a stepmother and stepdaughter The woman is dominant, older,
and the teen is submissive.
One of the former scriptwriters shares a revelation.
This concept of the stepmother would have been originally introduced
by none other than MindGeek themselves.
This is actually a massive,
multinational, well-resourced company
that is setting out to try and work out
how they can generate the most amount of revenue
without actually thinking or caring about any kind of impact
without actually thinking or caring that it might be having for users
and also for those of us that it might be having for users
and also for those of us outside of their user base,
and also for those of us the impact more broadly on society.
This means for profit
is what convinced these former employees
is what convinced to stop working for MindGeek.
Influencing the sexual desires of the entire population.
Influencing the sexual desires A staggering proposition.
On the free sites
hundreds of millions of visitors
don't pay a cent to consume pornography.
Nonetheless, they're the ones bringing money into the platforms.
What's the percentage of revenue from advertising?
Uh... From the top of my head, I believe it's approximately 50%.
So, based on their last reported annual revenue,
that would be around 230 million euros.
It's not hard to do the maths.
For MindGeek, advertising is everything.
MindGeek, therefore, has to get its users to upload content to its sites.
To do so, it offers them a cut of the revenue.
To do so, For a video on Pornhub,
users can receive as much as 80% of the advertising income.
MindGeek would collect the other 20%.
But sometimes MindGeek could be earning more,
and this would be on videos recorded without consent.
Remember 1stBlackZoro, the amateur serial poster?
This is his latest upload, "Crackhead."
This is his latest upload, The emoji is his.
Pornhub approved this video of fellatio
even though the user confirmed
to still never having provided proof of consent.
I am burning up.
This is the email Pornhub sent him about it:
And this is what Pornhub added:
So, 1stBlackZoro won't make any money from his video
because he doesn't feature in it,
yet, the video remains online.
And it's still accompanied by all the usual adverts.
But then who receives the advertising revenue
generated by these videos posted without consent?
Notice the small blue logo in the top right - TJ. Traffic Junky.
It's MindGeek's advertising company.
We sent MindGeek a list of exactly 12 questions...
..as well as links to two videos.
Alright. Good luck. Good luck.
Alright. Good luck. And that's a wrap. Enjoy, everybody.
These were videos we had reported as users.
At this moment in time they still haven't been removed.
You're not making no video, huh? Hmm?
You ain't making no video, is you?
No.
So, how did they respond to our 12 questions
on videos posted without proof of consent...
..and on the advertising revenue generated by this kind of video,
especially those of Kate?
A fucking number?!
Look at the numbers on the views A fucking number?!
Look at the numbers on the views on my fucking video.
Look at the numbers on the views How much of that made you money?
On content featuring family members
and, of course, on their disregard On content featuring family members
and, of course, on their disregard of laws protecting under 18 seconds,
this was the conglomerate's response:
MindGeek added:
On top of that, Pornhub also banned 1stBlackZoro's account
On top of that, Pornhub also banned and all his videos have been deleted.
There's also been a development at MindGeek.
In March 2023 the conglomerate changed hands.
The new owners -
multiple companies registered in the British Virgin Islands, a tax haven,
here on the second floor, PO Box 2429.
Which of the shareholders are behind them?
Which of the shareholders It's impossible to say.
To conclude our investigation,
we headed back to the United States to see Kate.
we headed back to the United States In May 2020
the 30-year-old In May 2020
the 30-year-old discovered videos of herself
posted without her knowledge on Pornhub
and then on 40 other free porn sites too.
CREW: So, make sure your microphone...
MARIE: Now? Yep.
OK.
We came bearing bad news.
Yesterday I checked with the title 'blowjob', right?
Yesterday I checked "By best friend, Kate."
I didn't put 'Kate'.
Is it still there?
Am I still on Xvideos?
Yep.
Xvideos is the most visited porn site in the world.
So, there are some websites where...
How many?
So, the title's changed.
That's pretty much what it was.
There are ads everywhere.
Of course there are. Yeah.
Of course there are. Oh, my God.
And there as well.
And I've just been... It's, like, the biggest campsite of the world.
That makes me sick. I just want to vomit.
Sometimes... And you can still fucking download.
This little button just below the video of Kate
is an extra feature the Xvideos site offers its users.
With a basic account
you can download content With a basic account
you can download content onto your own device
for yourself or to share it with others.
Like... This is why we don't win.
We flag the video using the report form.
"That's me on the video" maybe? Yeah.
"That is me on the video.
"I did not give consent to this being put up."
"Please take it down ASAP."
This is the automatic response.
"Thanks for your report!"
The video remains available.
How are THEY not taken down instantly?
How is that allowed?
After chasing them up...
Don't look at that, right? (LAUGHS) After chasing them up...
Don't look at that, right? (LAUGHS) CREW: Yeah.
..Xvideos finally deleted the video three weeks later.
Kate has now reported her former friend to the authorities.
Kate has now reported But for now
the American justice system But for now
the American justice system is refusing to pursue the case.
(THEME MUSIC PLAYS)