Pornhub Continues to Overhaul Co-Performer Verification

LOS ANGELES/MONTREAL—Aylo, the parent company of adult tube website Pornhub.com, today announced updates on its co-performer tagging and identity verification protocols for content creators. These updates overhaul concerns related to proof of consent and verification for all co-performers in content. Beginning on September 3, 2024, performers and co-performers will be required to provide identification and proof of consent for all performers in any scene or video uploaded and published on the platform. New policies include the requirement to upload a release form for all co-performers who don't already have one on file or complete the verification process through a digitally used eSignature. Missing IDs and proof of consent delay new video releases and could affect monthly payouts. Pornhub also made it a requirement in January 2024 for both performers to submit identification and performer releases. "When you upload a new video that features a co-performer who only has ID approval, you will be required to upload a release form before the video can be published," reads the Pornhub blog. Performers can log into their accounts and navigate to the model dashboard. Click on core settings and select the tab for co-performers. There, creators can filter through co-performers. If co-performers are missing consent forms, performers can now add the forms. There are two options for verification: uploading co-performer release forms with proper signatures and reviewing them, or using an eSignature link tool. For option 1, performers download release form templates and upload the documents for review by the trust and safety program. For option 2, performers send an eSignature link to verify their government identification, perform a live face scan through facial scans, and digitally sign the release form. The link can be sent by email. Co-performer tagging is also overhauled. Creators can now send collaboration requests to other models who appear in their content and confirm the consent. The system is available to all verified members of the model program and will appear in account settings to identify collaborating performers.  The blog post adds, "Collaboration requests must be accepted by the other party to confirm their consent." Pornhub's new policies directly answer to the criticism from anti-pornography critics, like the controversial Sound Investigations pressure group, who claim the tube site has done nothing to protect the content creators enrolled in the platform's model program. As AVN reported previously, Sound Investigations is the far-right Project Veritas spin-off that presented itself as a nonprofit journalism outfit working to hold powerful industries accountable. Its first target was Pornhub and Aylo through the commission and publication of heavily-edited undercover tapes. One accusation lodged against Pornhub by Sound Investigations is that the platform doesn't verify the identity of "faceless" performers or require faces to appear in content published on the site. Sound Investigations called this a so-called "predator loophole." This led to 26 Republican attorneys general sending a joint letter to Aylo asking for the company to explain this supposed loophole. Basing the query on the series of these one-sided investigative videos, the attorneys general have requested that Aylo address this matter and explain how it is being addressed. In fact, Aylo did so without any prompts from these far-right attorneys general or the work of Sound Investigations, which has appeared to be connected and backed by well-funded anti-porn groups. During a virtual press day hosted by Aylo in March 2024, Aylo and its ownership group, the Ottawa-based private equity firm Ethical Capital Partners (ECP), addressed many of these accusations. AVN asked during the press day why Aylo permitted “faceless” performers. Solomon Friedman, a partner at ECP and the vice president of compliance, responded by explaining that all performers who appear faceless in their videos undergo the same level of moderation as the performers who appear with their faces in their videos.