The Pornhub site is accused of uploading illegal content. charnsitr / stock.adobe.com
The company claims to want to strengthen the notoriety of Mindgeek, which operates a large portfolio of adult sites, and position it as a “leader in the fight against illegal content on the Internet”.
The Canadian private equity firm Ethical Capital Partners announced on Thursday March 16 the acquisition of Mindgeek, parent company of the largest pornographic site in the world, Pornhub, marked in recent years by child pornography scandals.
The terms of the transaction were not disclosed, but the company ECP says it wants to strengthen the notoriety of Mindgeek and position it as “leader in the fight against illegal content on the Internet”. MindGeek, headquartered in Luxembourg but with major offices in Montreal, has been the subject of several lawsuits in recent years alleging that it profited from the distribution of child pornography and videos of sexual acts. non-consensual sex – charges the company denies.
Child pornography and rape videos
“We believe that the MindGeek team and all MindGeek platforms operate by placing trust and security at the heart of everything they do”said Sarah Bain, one of the founders of the Ottawa-based firm ECP. “We will engage with stakeholders, including content creators, governments and industry, to address the disconnect between how MindGeek operates and what the public perceives of this industry and these platforms”she added in a press release.
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Founded in 2004, MindGeek operates an extensive portfolio of adult sites, including Pornhub, YouPorn, Redtube and Men.com. The Internet porn market leader, however, has faced heavy criticism since the New York Times published an article in December 2020 in which Pornhub was accused of uploading illegal content, including child pornography and rape videos. This has led Canadian parliamentarians to question its executives over alleged abuse, while companies Mastercard and Visa have suspended payments on the Pornhub site. Mindgeek’s top executives resigned in June 2022.