Canadian private equity firm Ethical Capital Partners announced Thursday the acquisition of Mindgeek, the parent company of the world’s largest pornography site, Pornhub, which has been marred in recent years by child pornography scandals.
Terms of the transaction were not disclosed, but ECP says it wants to strengthen Mindgeek’s reputation and position it as a “leader in the fight against illegal content on the Internet.”
MindGeek, based in Luxembourg but headquartered 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 non-consensual sexual acts, charges the company denies.
Towards a block for minors in France
“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,” he added in a press release.
Founded in 2004, MindGeek operates a broad portfolio of adult entertainment sites, including Pornhub, YouPorn, Redtube, and Men.com.
However, the internet pornography market leader has faced strong criticism since the New York Times published an article in December 2020 accusing Pornhub of uploading illegal content, including child pornography and abuse videos. sexual and rape.
This has led Canadian parliamentarians to question their leaders over alleged abuses, while Mastercard and Visa companies have suspended payments on the Pornhub site. Mindgeek’s top executives resigned in June 2022.
In France, Pornhub, like all porn sites, is closely scrutinized. The government wants to establish a control of the age of the visitors of this type of sites. The objective is to prevent minors from having access to videos reserved for adults. The CNIL is involved in discussions to find the best way to verify the age of Internet users.
Source: BFM TV
