Takedown : inside the fight to shut down Pornhub for child abuse, rape, and sex trafficking
(Book)

Content warning: This book contains graphic descriptions of sexual violence that are necessary to convey the truth and reality of what took place.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

"For years, it was an open secret that Pornhub was infested with child sexual abuse material, revenge porn, and illegal content. The billion-dollar website's executives happily took advantage of how difficult it was to moderate and discipline criminals, and for years they were rewarded financially. That is, until activist Laila Mickelwait decided to do something about it. Takedown is a shocking exposé of the criminal inner workings of the world's largest porn empire, and one activist's battle to destroy it. For years, Pornhub and its shadowy parent company MindGeek were complicit in a sex trafficking scheme that destroyed the lives of victims as young as twelve years old - all while Pornhub dubbed itself a champion of women. Readers will follow Mickelwait from her first horrifying discovery of unmoderated content on Pornhub to her fight with major credit card companies who ignored her petitions in favor of profit. Through accounts from firsthand witnesses like Pornhub moderators and industry executives, you'll meet the world's first online porn tycoon, AKA "the Zuckerberg of porn," and read his desperate pleas to take back his company after losing everything; as well as Mindgeek's top brass (known internally as "The Divas") who operate in shadowy secrecy. Mickelwait's journey to bring these men to justice takes her all the way to Washington D.C., where she bravely testifies before Congress on behalf of the millions of victims of Pornhub. Today, Pornhub has been forced to delete 80% of its content--and Mickelwait isn't stopping there. Takedown will forever transform the way we think about the pornography industry, challenging our beliefs about safety, freedom, and liberation. The ambitious culmination of years of activism, Takedown uncovers an intricate web of conspiracy amidst a lawless industry operating behind closed doors"--,Provided by publisher.