MindGeek, the parent company of Pornhub, but also other porn sites, will now be called Aylo.
According to the post on Aylo’s website, this rebranding was dictated by the company’s need to take a ” new start and change how it works. It’s hard to forget, however, that the fresh start in question comes as the company is under fire from critics and, above all, mired in multiple lawsuits in Europe and the United States.
Take a ” new start »…
In June 2022, an investigation by the New Yorker reveals huge holes in the moderation of various sites owned by MindGeek, and in particular with regard to videos of minors. Although they deny any connection with this investigation, two of the most important leaders of the company then leave their post. And a few months later, the company was bought by an investment fund: Ethical Capital Partners.
It was therefore the latter who chose to change the name of MindGeek to, according to his blog post, “ make a fresh start, kick-start innovation, and further commit to inclusive and diverse adult content “. It also announces that this new branding will soon be visible not only in its communications, but also on all of its platforms.
… and forget the trials?
While Aylo may be sincere in his approach, this should not allow the company to escape the various lawsuits and controversies to which it has been subject for several years. It has thus, since 2020 at least, been accused of leaving illegal content, including sexual abuse, on its various platforms, which had notably prompted Visa and Mastercard to stop their payment services there.
But the company has more recently come into conflict with several US states, which require it to verify the age of its users using a credit card. The same thing could also happen in Europe. Still on the Old Continent, Aylo’s porn sites are also accused of violating the various GDPR directives quite widely, far more than social networks which have already been condemned for these same reasons.
But above all, changing the name of MindGeek rather than Pornhub is not likely to be very effective in terms of image campaign, the name of this parent company being relatively anonymous for the general public.
Sources: The Verge, Aylo
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