You’ve probably seen the "This site is blocked in your state" message or heard about the massive lawsuits. Honestly, it’s getting hard to keep track of what’s actually happening. For years, Pornhub was just the "YouTube of porn," a tech giant that seemed untouchable. But lately, things have gotten messy. From legal battles over non-consensual content to state-wide blocks across nearly half the U.S., the platform is facing a fundamental crisis.
So, what is wrong with Pornhub right now? It isn't just one thing. It’s a perfect storm of government crackdowns, massive ethical failures from its past, and a business model that is currently fighting for its life against new privacy laws.
The Age Verification Battle Is Everywhere
If you live in Texas, Florida, or Montana, you already know the deal. You try to load the site and get hit with a wall of text instead of a video. As of early 2026, Pornhub—and its parent company, Aylo (formerly known as MindGeek)—has opted to go dark in 23 U.S. states and even the entire country of France.
Why? It’s all about the "reasonable age verification" laws.
States are passing bills requiring adult sites to verify that users are 18+ by checking government IDs or using third-party verification services. Pornhub’s stance is basically: "We won't do it." They argue that forcing users to upload a driver's license to a porn site is a massive privacy risk. They aren't totally wrong there. Imagine a database of millions of people’s IDs linked to their browsing habits getting hacked. It’s a nightmare scenario.
But critics, including many state Attorneys General, say the site is just avoiding accountability. They want to protect kids from stumbling onto explicit content. Pornhub says the laws are "ineffective and dangerous" because users just jump on a VPN or go to "darker corners" of the web where there are zero safety controls.
The Ethical Ghost in the Machine
We can't talk about what is wrong with Pornhub without talking about non-consensual content. This is the big one. For years, the site allowed anyone to upload anything. That led to horrific situations where victims of sexual assault or "revenge porn" found videos of themselves being monetized by a billion-dollar company.
It took a 2020 New York Times investigation by Nicholas Kristof to really blow the lid off. After that, Visa and Mastercard cut them off, and Pornhub had to delete millions of unverified videos.
Even now, the legal fallout is massive:
- In September 2025, the FTC and the state of Utah slapped Aylo with a settlement over claims they "deceived" users about their moderation.
- They were accused of ignoring hundreds of thousands of flags on videos that depicted child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and non-consensual acts.
- The settlement forced them to pay millions and undergo independent audits for the next decade.
People often think the site is "clean" now because only "verified partners" can upload. But many survivors say the damage is already done. There are still active class-action lawsuits from people who were filmed as minors years ago, and those cases are finally making their way through the courts in 2026.
The Business of Aylo
MindGeek rebranded to Aylo a while back to try and distance themselves from the scandals. It's a classic corporate move. But under the hood, they still own almost everything: Brazzers, RedTube, YouPorn, and Mofos.
They are a monopoly. And that monopoly is being squeezed.
Because of the "TAKE IT DOWN Act" signed in mid-2025, platforms are now legally required to remove non-consensual explicit images—including AI deepfakes—within 48 hours. This adds a massive operational cost. They have to hire armies of moderators and build expensive AI tools just to stay compliant with the law.
At the same time, their traffic in states like Louisiana dropped by 80% after ID laws went into effect. When you lose that much traffic, you lose ad revenue. The business is basically hemorrhaging users in the U.S., which is still their biggest market.
It’s a Privacy vs. Protection Paradox
Here is the thing most people get wrong. This isn't just about "porn is bad." It’s a battle over how the internet works.
If Pornhub is forced to collect IDs, then social media sites might be next. In fact, some states are already trying to push age verification for Instagram and TikTok. On one hand, you have the "Trafficking Hub" advocates who want the site shut down entirely because of its history. On the other, you have digital rights groups like the EFF (Electronic Frontier Foundation) who worry that these laws are just a "back door" to a broader ban on online anonymity.
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What You Can Actually Do
If you’re concerned about the ethics or the privacy risks associated with what is wrong with Pornhub, there are a few practical steps to take:
- Check your data footprint. If you’ve ever uploaded content or had an account, look into how to request a data deletion under the newer privacy laws (like CCPA in California or GDPR in Europe).
- Support ethical alternatives. There has been a massive shift toward "creator-centric" platforms where performers have more control over their content and how it's distributed.
- Stay informed on state laws. If you live in a state with active age-verification bills, read the fine print on how they handle your ID data. Many of these laws allow you to sue if a site loses your personal information in a data breach.
The era of the "wild west" for big tube sites is over. Whether Pornhub survives this current wave of litigation and regulation depends on if they can finally prove they are safe—not just for users, but for the people in the videos.