New Canadian Bill Could Hold Pornhub Accountable for Harming Kids

Over the last eight months, the Traffickinghub campaign has grown into a global movement, garnering the support of over 2.1 million people and 300 organizations.

The movement has grabbed the world’s attention, exposing the litany of crimes Pornhub has both enabled and profited from. The campaign has been covered extensively by the media, being the subject of over 300 different publications since it began.

Along the way, vitriol from critics has included statements like “you’re crazy to take on Big Porn,” and “this is a fight you can’t win.” Pornhub has also taken aim at Exodus Cry, Laila Mickelwait, and the movement, accusing them of lying and engaging in ad hominem attacks to deflect from their complicity in crime. But as the weeks roll on and support grows, it becomes more and more likely that MindGeek will have to answer for their blatant disregard for laws and human rights.

Among the chorus of supportive voices have been concerned citizens, celebrities, athletes, and lawmakers. Senators and Parliamentary leaders like Sen. Ben Sasse, Sen. Rob Portman, Rep. Jackie Speier, Canadian independent Senator Miville-Dechêne, Arnold Viersen, MP and seven other Canadian parliamentarians have all made public statements denouncing Pornhub and demanding that justice be served. It’s these voices, the men and women who serve in positions of power in the US and abroad, that are critical in bringing Pornhub to justice.

MP Viersen reached out to Laila Mickelwait because he wanted to write a letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, demanding an investigation into MindGeek.

Senators Miville-Dechéne and Viersen have expressed interest in the campaign from the very beginning. Inspired by the traction of the Traffickinghub petition, MP Viersen reached out to Laila Mickelwait because he wanted to write a letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, demanding an investigation into MindGeek. That letter was signed by nine MP’s and Senators from various parties, including Viersen and Miville-Dechene. Earlier this month, Viersen addressed the lawmaking body in person, boldly calling for Montreal-based MindGeek to be prosecuted for their crimes against women and children.

RELATED: Canadian Parliament Members Urge Govt. to Address Pornhub Concerns

RELATED: Pornhub’s Executives Exposed as Fake

Senator Miville-Dechene has also been very active in this fight, not only speaking at the first MindGeek protest on International Women’s Day in Montreal, but also focusing her efforts on protecting children in Canada from being exposed to the explicit and criminal content which Pornhub and MindGeek are distributing. It’s those efforts that led her to introduce Bill S-203 to the Canadian Parliament on September 30th, a bipartisan effort to restrict children’s access to pornographic websites like Pornhub.

The bill would empower the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness to require pornographic websites to prevent anyone under the age of 18 from accessing them.

Bill S-203 is the first piece of related legislation to be proposed in the wake of the Traffickinghub campaign. The bill would empower the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness to require pornographic websites to prevent anyone under the age of 18 from accessing them. The proposal declares that “anyone making sexually explicit material available on the internet for commercial purposes, has a responsibility to ensure that it is not accessed by young people.”

What powerful language, since it’s this responsibility that the executives at MindGeek and Pornhub have purposefully neglected. Despite making hundreds of millions of dollars as the world’s biggest online porn company, they have consistently shrugged off evidence of misconduct, refusing to admit any fault or make changes. Their refusal to add meaningful digital safeguards reveals how little they care about the safety and well-being of children.

Ironically, the bill would require similar age-verification technology that Pornhub senior staff stated would “devastate” their site traffic¹. As the bill language points out, technology has become so advanced, that it can ascertain age without violating privacy. Think about that for a moment. Pornhub knows “how” to protect innocent children from explicit and demeaning content, yet chooses to profit more instead. But if this bill passes in Canada, they will have no choice.

The bill calls for fines of $250,000 for a first offense, and $500,000 for a second, to be levied against any corporation who violates the law. This bill also allows for prosecution of any director, officer, or agent of the corporation who directed or authorized any violation of the law. And it actually requires age-verification,² so any offending person or company couldn’t just play off allegations by saying “we thought they were 18.”

If passed, it would be a major step toward protecting young people from the dangers of online pornography, and establish measures to hold the executives at MindGeek and Pornhub accountable for their continued negligence.

It is incredible to see leaders like MP Viersen, Senator Miville-Dechene and others act on behalf of their constituents with clear, decisive action. Laila Mickelwait and members of this Traffickinghub movement have been unrelenting and uncompromising in efforts to see MindGeek’s executives held accountable for their crimes. Now, with leaders from both the US and Canada answering the call and using their platform, the end for MindGeek’s criminal enterprise seems closer than ever before.

____________

Let’s shut down Pornhub! Click below to sign the petition or give to the fight.

Join the Traffickinghub Movement

One of the greatest ways you can make an impact is by joining our dedicated community of Traffickinghub Premium Partners who are giving $10/month, or more, to sustain this long fight till Pornhub is brought to justice. Will you join us? Start here.