Why Pornhub’s parent company has changed its name

Pornhub’s parent company, MindGeek, has rebranded itself to Aylo. Embroiled in a series of controversies, MindGeek, which also owns other adult entertainment websites, says the name change represents “the need for a fresh start”. If you are wondering what Aylo means, the company says it does not have a meaning yet. “You won’t find ‘Aylo’ in a dictionary,” The Verge quoted a statement as saying. So, why has MindGeek become Aylo? What are the many controversies surrounding the porn site company? We explain. ‘A fresh beginning’ MindGeek said that it is seeking a “fresh start” so that the new owners of the company “could define it how we want”, according to a New York Post report. “We wanted a fresh start, so we opted for a name that gave us that freedom, so that our team and our new owners could define it how we want,” the company said. In March, Ethical Capital Partners, a private-equity firm based in Canada, acquired Montreal-based MindGeek for an undisclosed amount. “The decision to rebrand the company as Aylo comes in response to the need for a fresh start and a renewed commitment to innovation, diverse and inclusive adult content, and trust and safety,” the company said in a statement on 17 August, as per Variety. The new name “symbolises a fresh beginning, reflecting our dedication to being a global leading tech platform that empowers hundreds of thousands of creators to earn a living, that employs innovative employees and that provides hundreds of millions of users worldwide with safe content,” the statement added. [caption id=“attachment_13026792” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] MindGeek says its platforms attract millions of users every day. Pixabay (Representational Image)[/caption] The new branding and logo are set to be launched across all company communications, marketing materials and digital platforms, as per reports. In a statement to New York Post, Ethical Capital’s vice president of public engagement Sarah Bain said that the team said they “needed a fresh start”. “At the same time, ECP also committed to be more present in conversations that impact Aylo’s business, along with plans to correct information and public perception about the company, who they are, and how they present themselves to the world,” Bain added. According to Variety, Alex Kekesi, VP of brand and community at Pornhub, said the adult entertainment platform is “excited to be a part of Aylo and will continue to provide a safe space for verified content creators and the entire adult entertainment community to share, monetise and enjoy content. Under this new banner, we will continue to commit to our core values of consent, freedom of sexual expression, authenticity, originality and diversity.” Besides Pornhub, MindGeek, or Aylo, also owns YouPorn, Brazzers, Men.com, Reality Kings, TransAngels and Nutaku. As per the company, its various platforms attract an audience of 130 million users daily, reported New York Post.  MindGeek’s myriad rows Last June, Feras Antoon, the chief executive, and David Tassillo, the chief operating officer of MindGeek, quit following a report in The New Yorker that said that non-consensual and underage sex videos were present on Pornhub. The report had interviews of many women who came across videos of themselves on Pornhub that were shared without their consent and their monthslong efforts to get them pulled down from the site. MindGeek rejected these allegations and claimed the resignations were planned for months and had nothing to do with the magazine’s report. “[The New Yorker] chose to ignore the fact that MindGeek has more comprehensive and effective policies than any other major platform on the internet, and decided to peddle the same gross mischaracterisations that anti-porn extremists have spewed for decades,” a spokesperson told The Washington Post at the time. Last year, credit card companies Visa and Mastercard suspended payment processing of the advertising arm of MindGeek. Earlier in 2020, these companies stopped offering payment services on Pornhub following a New York Times (NYT) investigation that found the spread of “unlawful content” on the adult website and its impact on the victims. [caption id=“attachment_13026782” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Around three dozen women sued Pornhub in 2021. Pixabay (Representational Image)[/caption] The NYT article had alleged that Pornhub “is infested with rape videos” and “monetises child rapes.” Denying the report, the porn site had called the claims “irresponsible and flagrantly untrue.” In 2021, around three dozen women had sued Pornhub comparing it to a “classic criminal enterprise”. As per The Washington Post, the lawsuit accused the adult entertainment platform and its parent company of profiting from allowing content on rape, child pornography, sex trafficking and other non-consensual acts. Pornhub had told NBC News that its website has “the most comprehensive safeguards in user-generated platform history” and denied hosting illegal content. Amid the scandals, YouTube and Instagram have suspended Pornhub’s accounts, citing policy violations. Meanwhile, Aylo says it has several steps in place to protect users, including verifying those who upload content and engaging with “more than 50 nonprofit organisations” globally to combat child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and non-consensual sexual content, according to Variety. With inputs from agencies