Pornhub is accused of illegal data collection in Italy. The complaint concerns the data of millions of people.
Pornhub has over 2 billion monthly visitors. Nikolas Kokovlis/NurPhoto/Shutterstock
The #StopDataPorn collective, consisting of activists and researchers, accuses the world’s most popular porn website Pornhub of violating the European Union’s strict GDPR rules, which regulate how people’s data can and should be used in the EU says Wired.
A complaint against Pornhub has been filed in Italy. According to the lawsuit, the illegal processing of data concerns the data of millions of people.
Digital rights activist and lawyer Alessandro Polidoro says the group found “many” potential problems with how Pornhub uses people’s data. In an interview with Wired, he highlights the three most important ones.
One problem, according to Polidoro, is that the site forces people to share their data, because when the site asks about cookies, the only option is to press OK and allow the data to be collected.
According to European data protection laws, if a website wants to track someone, it must obtain consent. This is why the web is full of annoying cookie pop-ups.
In addition, the site’s algorithm determines visitors’ sexual preferences based on the videos they watch. Pornhub also does not clearly state what data it shares with third parties and what is done with the shared data.
According to Wired, Pornhub’s parent company MindGeek has refused to comment on the ongoing legal process.
– MindGeek is committed to protecting the privacy of its users and constantly implements measures to secure the personal information of all members of its community, the company was content to comment.
Finnish media studies professor who studies sexuality interviewed by Wired Susanna Paasonen The University of Turku doubts how many people have read Pornhub’s privacy policy.
– Transparency towards users is questionable, Paasonen commented.