Pornhub Owner Pays IDR 82.2 Billion Fine For Illegal Content Storage

The owner of Pornhub has resolved the case of illegal data collection (photo: dock. unsplash)

JAKARTA Pornhub's parent company, Aylo, agreed to pay a fine of US$5 million (Rp82.2 billion) to the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the state of Utah regarding data management.

The company is accused of profiting from child sexual harassment (CSAM) and non-consensual material (NCM). This problem was discovered several years ago, right after Aylo made a change in content moderation policy at the end of 2020.

The findings of the New York Times at that time showed that Pornhub failed to prevent uploading illegal content such as CSAM and NCM on its platform. Based on the findings of the problem, Aylo required the players to sign approval documents.

The company also applies an age verification system for all cast in the video on Pornhub. This is done so that no player is still a minor. However, the FTC and Utah still accuse Aylo of hosting their illegal content.

Aylo is also accused of managing consumer data irresponsibly. The FTC, in its official broadcast, stated that Aylo did not disclose that they stored the personal data of the actors verified through a third-party vendor.

In fact, the data stored includes Social Security numbers, addresses, date of birth, and other identity information that can be found on official identity cards. According to the FTC, this data storage system is unsafe.

The FTC states that Aylo also informs its models that it can 'trust the security of their personal data'. However, companies fail to use standard security measures such as encryption, limit access, and use firewalls.

In addition, the FTC claims Aylo failed to keep its promise to block users who are trying to upload CSAM. Aylo's video detection technology is also considered ineffective. As a result, hundreds of videos previously identified as CSAM can be re-uploaded.

Aylo agreed to resolve this issue. The company stated that this settlement is proof of their seriousness in preventing the publication of illegal content.

Over the next decade, Aylo will face independent third-party audits. Aylo was also ordered to implement technical policies and procedures to block CSAM and NCM appropriately.