Aylo agrees to $120 million settlement over Pornhub child sexual abuse material claims
Aylo, the Montreal company that owns Pornhub, has agreed to pay US$120 million to settle a class-action lawsuit brought by people who say the platform hosted sexually explicit videos of them without consent, including child sexual abuse material (CSAM). The proposed settlement covers claims dating back to 2021, when survivors of child sex trafficking first sued the company then known as MindGeek. Court filings describe it as one of the largest payouts by an adult content platform tied to CSAM allegations in North America.
The deal, still pending court approval, resolves civil claims without Aylo admitting liability. It arrives less than a year after the company separately paid $5 million to settle with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the state of Utah over related allegations. Together, the two settlements put a dollar figure on years of accusations that Pornhub’s moderation systems failed to catch and remove illegal content before it spread.
Key takeaways from the Aylo settlement
- The $120 million settlement resolves the Pornhub CSAM class action filed in 2021 on behalf of trafficking victims. If you believe you’re a class member, watch for a claims administrator notice with a filing deadline once the court grants preliminary approval.
- Aylo must implement stricter age and consent verification for anyone appearing in uploaded content, a reform separate from the FTC’s decade-long oversight agreement.
- The FTC’s $5 million Utah settlement requires independent audits of Aylo’s moderation systems through 2035, giving regulators a paper trail if violations recur.
- Compensation amounts will vary by claim category (direct CSAM victims, non-consensual image victims, and secondary claimants), so read the claims form carefully before submitting documentation.
- Legal experts say the settlement doesn’t shield Aylo executives from potential future criminal referrals. A civil resolution isn’t the end of the company’s legal exposure.
What the class action lawsuit alleged against MindGeek and Pornhub
Origins of the 2021 civil suit filed on behalf of trafficking victims
The case began in February 2021, when a U.S.-based civil class action was filed against MindGeek on behalf of child sex trafficking victims, according to information compiled on Aylo’s own corporate history. The plaintiffs alleged that Pornhub hosted videos depicting their abuse for months or years, generating ad revenue and subscription income before the content was removed.
The lawsuit built on earlier reporting that had already forced changes at the company. In December 2020, Pornhub removed millions of unverified videos and suspended downloads following public pressure over verification failures. The 2021 suit sought to hold the company financially accountable for the period before those changes took effect, arguing that MindGeek knew or should have known its verification systems were inadequate.
How MindGeek’s Montreal operations became central to the case
MindGeek ran its content moderation, technical infrastructure, and executive decision-making out of Montreal, which is what brought the “MindGeek Montreal child abuse material case” language into court filings and Canadian media coverage. Plaintiffs argued that decisions about staffing levels for moderation teams, and the pace of verification reforms, were made at the Montreal headquarters, giving Canadian courts and regulators a jurisdictional hook alongside the U.S. civil suits.
That geographic detail matters for accountability. It meant Canadian authorities and Quebec-based plaintiffs’ lawyers had standing to scrutinize a company whose platforms served a global audience but whose operational decisions were made domestically.
Inside the $120 million settlement terms
Compensation structure and how victims can file claims
The settlement fund will be divided among class members based on the nature and severity of their claims, according to court documents referenced in reporting on the deal. People whose CSAM was hosted on Pornhub, along with those whose non-consensual sexual images circulated on the platform, fall into separate compensation tiers. A claims administrator will process submissions once a judge grants preliminary approval, a step that typically takes several months in cases of this size.
If you believe you have a claim, you’ll need documentation showing the content depicted you and that Aylo’s platforms hosted it. Class counsel has indicated notice will go out to known plaintiffs first, with a broader public notice period to follow for others who may qualify but haven’t yet come forward.
Content moderation and verification reforms Aylo must implement
Beyond the payout, Aylo has committed to overhauling its safety protocols, according to reporting on the settlement. That includes stricter uploader verification, expanded human review of flagged content, and faster takedown response times. These commitments run parallel to, but are legally distinct from, the FTC’s oversight requirements.
Court approval timeline and next steps
The settlement is “proposed,” meaning a federal judge still has to review the terms for fairness before it becomes binding. Objectors will get a window to challenge the deal, a standard feature of class-action procedure that can add months to final approval. Expect a fairness hearing before any funds are distributed.
How this settlement connects to the FTC and Utah actions
The separate $5 million penalty and decade-long oversight agreement
Aylo’s parent entities agreed to pay $5 million to the state of Utah and submit to a decade of federal oversight, according to the FTC. That penalty resolved a separate government enforcement action, distinct from the civil class action, but built on overlapping factual findings about moderation failures.
“Pornhub’s parent company has agreed to pay a $5 million penalty to the state of Utah and submit to a decade of oversight,” according to reporting on the FTC settlement.
The oversight period, running roughly through 2035, requires independent compliance audits and regular reporting to regulators, giving the FTC and Utah authorities a long runway to catch future lapses.
What the FTC found during its investigation
The FTC’s investigation centered on allegations that Pornhub’s operators profited from content depicting non-consenting individuals, including minors, while failing to verify ages and obtain consent before monetizing videos, according to the Federal Trade Commission. The agency’s findings echoed the civil suit’s core allegation: verification systems lagged years behind the scale of content uploaded to the platform.
The table below lays out how the two settlements differ:
| Class action settlement | FTC/Utah settlement | |
|---|---|---|
| Amount | $120 million | $5 million |
| Recipient | Individual claimants (survivors) | State of Utah / federal government |
| Legal basis | Civil tort claims | Consumer protection enforcement |
| Ongoing obligation | Verification and moderation reforms | Decade-long independent oversight through ~2035 |
| Admission of liability | None | None |
Aylo’s corporate history and rebrand from MindGeek
Timeline of ownership changes and executive leadership
MindGeek rebranded as Aylo in 2023, following years of scrutiny over the company’s content practices under its old name. The rebrand came alongside changes in ownership structure, with private equity involvement reshaping who controls the parent entities behind Pornhub and its sister sites. Leadership changes accompanied the name change, part of an effort to distance the brand from the reputational damage MindGeek had accumulated.
Other platforms under the Aylo umbrella
Aylo’s portfolio extends well past Pornhub. The company describes itself as offering “world-class adult entertainment” across “some of the internet’s safest platforms,” according to Aylo’s own corporate materials. Its holdings include other tube sites and production studios operating under the same parent structure, along with subscription services marketed under the Aylo Premium brand.
Reactions from survivors, advocacy groups, and legal experts
Survivors and their advocates describe the settlement as an acknowledgment of harm that money alone can’t undo. One public post reacting to the news captured the sentiment shared widely among advocates.
“Today Pornhub agreed to a settlement of 120 million dollars for spreading abuse videos of children. Survivors face so many obstacles,” according to a public post reacting to the settlement news.
Legal experts note that a $120 million fund, while large by adult-industry standards, will be split among potentially thousands of claimants once individual compensation tiers are applied. Advocacy groups working with trafficking survivors have pushed for the reform provisions, particularly the verification requirements, to be treated as enforceable commitments rather than voluntary promises, given the company’s history of slow compliance following earlier public pressure campaigns.
Frequently asked questions
What companies are owned by Aylo?
Aylo owns Pornhub along with a portfolio of other adult tube sites and production studios under the same corporate umbrella, plus subscription services marketed as Aylo Premium.
Why was Pornhub banned or restricted in some regions?
Several jurisdictions have restricted or considered restricting access to Pornhub over age-verification requirements and concerns tied to CSAM findings from the FTC investigation and related civil litigation.
Who is the CEO of Aylo?
Aylo’s executive leadership changed as part of the 2023 rebrand from MindGeek, with new management brought in to oversee compliance and safety reforms following years of regulatory and legal scrutiny.
What is Aylo Premium Limited?
Aylo Premium Limited is the corporate entity tied to Aylo’s premium subscription offerings, part of the broader corporate structure that also includes Pornhub and its sister platforms.
How can victims join the Aylo class action settlement?
Once the court grants preliminary approval, a claims administrator will distribute notice and claim forms to known and potential class members. If you believe your content was hosted on Pornhub without consent, watch for official notice and be prepared to submit supporting documentation before the filing deadline.
If you or someone you know has a potential claim, start documenting any evidence linking your case to content hosted on Aylo’s platforms now, before the formal claims window opens and deadlines start running.