Sen. Ben Sasse (R-NE) is calling on the Justice Department (DOJ) to investigate Pornhub over allegations that the site is exploiting sex trafficking victims, including children.
Sasse, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, wrote a letter to Attorney General William Barr asking him to look into Pornhub and their parent company over “their involvement in this disturbing pipeline of exploiting children and other victims and survivors of sex trafficking.”
Sasse also proposed opening an investigation into Pornhub’s parent company, MindGeek, which is headquartered in Luxembourg.
“Pornhub must not escape scrutiny. I therefore request that the Department open an investigation into Pornhub and its parent entity MindGeek Holding SARL for their involvement in this disturbing pipeline of exploiting children and other victims and survivors of sex trafficking,” Sasse said.
The website is one of the most popular and most visited porn sites in the world and has been charged multiple times for streaming and hosting sex trafficking victims while on video engaged in pornographic activities.
“These publicized cases clearly represent just the tip of the iceberg of women and children being exploited in videos on Pornhub,” Sasse wrote. “I applaud the actions that the Department has already undertaken under your leadership on this issue, but Pornhub must not escape scrutiny.”
MindGeek, the porn site’s parent company, denied the accusations in a statement:
Pornhub has a steadfast commitment to eradicating and fighting non-consensual content and under-age material. Any suggestion otherwise is categorically and factually inaccurate.
Sasse’s letter comes days after Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-SC) introduced legislation aimed at holding tech companies like Google and Facebook accountable for child exploitation on their social media platforms.
Several Judiciary Committee Republicans declined to sign on the bill, citing concerns about the Fourth Amendment and government overreach.