Watchdog Discovers Pornhub Operator Violated Privacy Law by Failing to Obtain Proper Consent

The federal privacy watchdog has found that the Montreal-based operator behind Pornhub and other pornographic websites broke the law by allowing intimate images to be shared without direct knowledge or consent.

This investigation by the privacy commissioner was sparked by a complaint from a woman whose ex-boyfriend posted an intimate video and other images of her on Aylo websites without her permission.

Commissioner Philippe Dufresne emphasized the devastating consequences faced by the complainant and other victims due to inadequate privacy protection measures on Aylo sites.

Mr. Dufresne stressed the importance of privacy as a fundamental right and called for steps to ensure that only intimate images and videos with direct knowledge and consent from everyone involved are posted.

The investigation also revealed that individuals had difficulty having content removed from Aylo sites when posted without consent.

Mr. Dufresne made recommendations to bring Aylo into compliance with the federal privacy law, including immediate cessation of collecting, using, and disclosing user-generated intimate content without appropriate measures, deleting content without valid consent, obtaining direct consent from individuals in uploaded content, and simplifying takedown processes.

Aylo has disagreed with the conclusions and has not committed to implementing the recommendations, according to the commissioner.

The investigation report revealed that the company did not seek the complainant’s consent for her intimate images, relying solely on her ex-boyfriend’s assertion of consent.

Despite the content being taken down after the woman’s request, it continued to be re-uploaded on various sites and shared globally, causing significant distress to the woman.

The woman had to resort to professional services to remove instances of her images from multiple websites, but the material still resurfaces online, impacting her social life and causing fear and anxiety.

Aylo’s changes to consent practices were acknowledged, but evidence of meaningful consent was not provided to the watchdog.