The parent company of PornHub has agreed to pay Utah $5 million to settle allegations that it provided child sexual abuse material and non-consensual material on its websites.
And for this latest chapter in the state’s fight against adult content, the federal government is joining in. The Federal Trade Commission and the Office of the Utah Attorney General announced the settlement after the Utah Department of Commerce filed a lawsuit against Aylo, which operates and oversees some of the world’s largest adult content sites.
Aylo allegedly distributed tens of thousands of videos and photos showing child sexual abuse materials, or any explicit content involving a person under the age of 18, and content produced without consent since 2012, according to a complaint filed by the FTC. The complaint also alleged the company did not remove this content from its websites for years after it was flagged as illegal, despite safety measures it had in place. In doing so, the FTC argued Aylo violated state and federal statutes.
Speaking in the Gold Room at the Utah State Capitol alongside Utah Attorney General Derek Brown and FTC Commissioner Melissa Holyoak, Margaret Busse, executive director of the Utah Department of Commerce, called Aylo’s actions deceptive.
“All of this adds up to a portrait of a company that has had no intention to comply with its own policies,” Busse said.
A proposed consent order will require the pornography company to monitor and remove child sexual abuse material and non-consensual material on its websites nationwide. That includes verifying the age of the individuals in its content as well as proving their consent to the sexual acts and their publication.
An independent third party will regularly audit the company over the next decade to make sure it is compliant. If the settlement is approved by the court, Aylo would owe Utah an additional $10 million if it violates any of the order’s terms.
Commissioner Holyoak said the requirements apply to Aylo’s actions anywhere in the country, not just in Utah.
“This is important to us,” Holyoak said. “This is important to the FTC, it's important to Utah, in terms of making sure that this type of material does not get up on those websites.”
Utah is the first state to take civil action against a porn company with help from the federal government, but its efforts to restrict adult content go back years. In 2016, Utah declared pornography a public health crisis. In 2023, the Legislature passed a law that requires adult websites to verify the age of their visitors. In response, PornHub blocked Utah's access to its site.
Attorney General Brown said he hopes the state’s actions send a message to the porn industry.
“If you think you can distribute [child sexual abuse material] and profit by exploiting our children, think again,” he said. “We will find you. We will hold you accountable.”
