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Credit: Bob Al-Greene / Mashable Most of us are watching porn , whether or not we admit it. But aren't you tired of (or maybe even troubled by) just doing the same old thing to get off online over and over again? If you're wondering why you've become so bored by the widely accessible mainstream porn that just seems to keep doing more of the same, Pornhub and its parent company Aylo (formerly MindGeek — the company changed its name in 2023) deserves part of the blame.
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As does XVideos, one of the most-viewed porn sites, which is owned by WGCZ. But don't worry, there are porn and erotica alternatives that can upgrade your self-love sessions. SEE ALSO: Boomers are into trans porn, Pornhub's Year in Review shows Pornhub's many controversies For years, Aylo has been accused of monopolistic dominance in the porn industry . In addition to Pornhub, it owns RedTube, YouPorn, Xtube, Brazzers, Reality Kings, and many more. The conglomerate disputed that characterization to Mashable back in 2020, with representative Michael Willis pointing to viewership data that shows its sites aren't alone among the most popular porn sites. Still, Aylo has a vast amount of power and influence over porn industry actors and producers. Its biggest competitor, WGCZ, keeps a low-profile and camouflages its network of brands (contact information for WGCZ wasn't immediately available). You May Also Like Hookup apps for everyone AdultFriendFinder — readers’ pick for casual connections Tinder — top pick for finding hookups Hinge — popular choice for regular meetups Products available for purchase through affiliate links. If you buy something through links on our site, Mashable may earn an affiliate commission. "We don't dispute that MindGeek properties drive considerable traffic, but to say it drives a disproportionate volume of traffic is not accurate," Willis said over email in 2020. Take that as you will. In 2022, for a Mashable story on Pornhub's 15th anniversary , Ph.D. candidate Maggie MacDonald called the adult industry an oligopoly: a market with limited players. Pornhub and its parent company not only dominate porn, but they set the standard of what viewers want to see. Accusations of monopoly aside, MindGeek, Pornhub, and XVideos are, to varying degrees, linked to other extremely troubling allegations. In January 2020, a judge awarded $13 million to 22 women who accused porn producer Girls Do Porn — one of Pornhub's former official content partners used to sell users on purchasing a subscription — of tricking and coercing them into performing. Despite the lawsuit's allegations being filed back in 2016, Pornhub only took down Girls Do Porn's channel in October 2019 , waiting until after federal prosecutors charged Girls Do Porn owners and employees with sex trafficking. It led many to question whether Pornhub cared at all about the fact that it profited from abusive and criminal videos. In late 2023, Aylo agreed to pay $1.8 million to settle a criminal probe related to Girls Do Porn . As of 2024, searching for Girls Do Porn on Pornhub and XVideos turns up no results. Separately, in 2018, adult performer Nikki Benz sued MindGeek for sexual battery. (Los Angeles prosecutors declined to press criminal charges. ) Pornhub's parent company wouldn't comment on the lawsuit when Mashable reached out in 2020. In December 2020, a New York Times op-ed added more accusations of these websites hosting unethical videos linked to child sex abuse material (CSAM), non-consensual sexually explicit material ("revenge porn"), rape, and other forms of abuse. The op-ed led Mastercard and Visa to stop processing payments on Pornhub, and the company also purged videos from unverified accounts . While a monumental, long-overdue step forward in addressing these longstanding issues, it's important to consider the implications for sex workers as well.