Ponhub announced this week that it is removing millions of user-uploaded videos. This is being described as,”the most comprehensive safeguards in user-generated platform history”, by PornHub.

The sudden move comes after New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof cited the platform had hosted content relating to rape, child exploitation, abuse and assault.

Since then, platform users are said to be flocking to competitor sites in droves. With some trending higher on Twitter than the electoral college during its presidential vote.

Pornhub, a Canadian-owned website that launched in 2007, now only hosts videos from companies and models that have registered and verified their age and consent to be filmed.

While a user can still upload something of themselves, they need to be registered and prove their age.

Uploading videos of third parties without their consent is not allowed This will prove to be a boom for pornographic actors who have spent years fighting the piracy of their content.

After Mastercard and Visa stopped processing payments, the site was forced to make changes.

Pornhub has claimed the changes in policy came about after serious allegations came to light.

This is an effort to mitigate the spread of illegal content. However there is a suggestion that the action against the company, will only hurt pornographic performers who rely on the videos for their income.

“The news [that Mastercard and Visa will halt payments] is crushing for the hundreds of thousands of models who rely on our platform for their livelihoods,” Pornhub said.

Obviously Mindgeek executives have a short memory, especially given that they facilitated the piracy of pornographic content on a biblical scale.

The attempted removal of evidence from their platform will no doubt attract the ire of investigators, tasked with investigating the platform hosting harmful and illegal content.

Incredibly Pornhub and its commentators have claimed that while the platform might host illegal content, its more polished brand and website has much better content moderation than the competitors that might replace it.

Pornhub might now have less content, but allowing uploads from only verified publishers and models, far from satisfies of the concerns of activists attempting to address the harm being enabled by the porn industry.

Of particular importance for Pornhub are serious rumblings among the Canadian parliament suggesting Pornhub might be included in a 2021 bill against illegal content online.

The writing may ultimately be already on the wall for MindGeek and the global porn monstrosity it created. Only time will tell.