An Ottawa-based personal fairness agency is shopping for MindGeek, the corporate behind the fashionable however controversial on-line pornography web site Pornhub.
The phrases of the acquisition by Moral Capital Companions are usually not being publicly disclosed.
MindGeek, which was based in Montreal in 2004 and is now headquartered in Luxembourg, consists of a big portfolio of grownup leisure properties.
It has been the topic of a number of high-profile lawsuits lately, in gentle of media experiences alleging that Pornhub revealed sexually exploitative movies. The positioning deleted hundreds of thousands of express movies in response to the scrutiny.
One California lawsuit representing 50 girls, together with a number of Canadians, stated that Pornhub knowingly launched and profited from movies of them that had been revealed with out their consent. The swimsuit was settled in October 2021.
Moral Capital Companions stated in a Thursday information launch that it’s going to assist MindGeek with furthering its analysis and adoption of one of the best obtainable on-line security protocols, including that the corporate “should play a number one function within the battle towards unlawful content material throughout the web.”
Dozens of girls are suing the Montreal firm behind Pornhub, one of the crucial visited web sites on this planet. Not one of the allegations have been confirmed in court docket, however the lawsuit alleges the corporate is run like an “organized crime household” and income off the exploitation of girls.
Mastercard and Visa stopped permitting their playing cards for use on the Pornhub website in 2020 amid considerations that they had been facilitating entry to sexually exploitative materials.
The corporate was additionally the topic of a investigation by Canada’s federal privateness watchdog after testimony from girls who stated Pornhub dismissed their efforts to have the movies taken down.
When requested in an interview with CBC Information whether or not ECP acquired Mindgeek at a reduced value resulting from its authorized troubles, companion Solomon Friedman stated the corporate noticed “nice worth.”
He stated that the agency will work to maintain younger individuals secure and defend intimate photos, in addition to deal with “all who take part — content material creators and customers — with respect [and] dignity, guaranteeing full, voluntary, knowledgeable consent.”