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Anti-trafficking activist Laila Mickelwait's highly anticipated new book, "Takedown: Inside the Fight to Shut Down Pornhub for Child Abuse, Rape and Sex Trafficking," is set to be released by Random House on Tuesday. 

A New Exposé: "Takedown"

The book delves into the alarming world of non-consensual pornography and the systemic failures that have allowed such content to thrive online. Mickelwait has been a relentless crusader against these injustices, reporting hundreds of illegal Pornhub videos to law enforcement and anti-trafficking watchdogs over the years.

Recently, Mickelwait reported a disturbing Pornhub video to state authorities, which featured a woman clearly in distress, shouting in pain, and pleading not to be filmed.

 "It's critical to bring justice to these victims, but also to be a deterrent to future abusers," she told Business Insider. "Pornhub, to this day, is still a crime scene that needs to be shut down and its owners held accountable."

Mickelwait further emphasized, “They have knowingly destroyed lives for profit for too many years. Justice for victims means prosecution to the full extent of the law.”

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The Pornhub Problem

Founded in 2007 and based in Montreal, Pornhub has built a reputation as a platform for both amateur and professional pornographic content, functioning similarly to YouTube. 

However, its reputation was severely tarnished four years ago when multiple reports uncovered that the site hosted non-consensual videos depicting rape, sexual assault, child pornography, and footage captured by hidden cameras.

In response to these revelations, advertisers, streaming platforms, and credit card companies severed ties with Pornhub, leading to the removal of approximately 80% of its content. Despite this drastic action, the issue remains persistent. 

In an attempt to rehabilitate its image, Pornhub implemented new safeguards to prevent illegal and abusive content from being uploaded. This includes requiring users who upload videos to submit government-issued photo IDs. Since January, the site has also mandated these IDs for performers appearing in new videos.

An array of influential figures supported Mickelwait's activism, including former New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof and conservative hedge-fund manager Bill Ackman. 

Their voices have amplified the call for accountability, leading to prominent brands like Heinz, Unilever, and KY Jelly pulling their ads from Pornhub and financial institutions cutting their services. At its peak, Pornhub’s parent company, MindGeek, boasted more traffic than Amazon or Netflix.

Still, it was forced to purge 10 million unverified videos virtually overnight due to public and legal pressure.

Growing Lawsuits

Despite these actions, Pornhub faces an ever-growing number of lawsuits from approximately 300 plaintiffs, who claim the site profited from videos depicting their abuse.

Plaintiff lawyers informed Business Insider that more lawsuits are in preparation, signaling that the legal troubles for Pornhub are far from over. Lawyers representing Pornhub did not respond to requests for comments regarding these allegations.

These lawsuits assert that Pornhub's owners, advertisers, credit card partners, and hedge-fund backers have collectively profited millions from the exploitation and suffering depicted in these videos. 

In a significant legal development, Pornhub's parent company, Aylo — formerly MindGeek — was mandated last year to undergo three years of federal monitoring of its content and screening processes.

 Aylo manages a network of adult sites, including Pornhub, PornhubPremium, Brazzers, YouPorn, Reality Kings, Men.com, TransAngels, and Nataku.

Despite the mounting legal challenges, Pornhub remains a popular user-generated adult entertainment platform, attracting 100 million visits daily.

One-Woman Fight to Take Down Pornhub

Laila Mickelwait, a mother of two, began her crusade against the online pornography giant in early 2020 as horror stories about its content began to surface.

Mickelwait is not only the author behind "Takedown" but also the founder of the nonprofit organization Justice Defense Fund. 

Her Traffickinghub petition, calling for an end to Pornhub's operations, has garnered an impressive 2.3 million signatures. 

"Laila is a one-woman wrecking crew, with two babies in her arms and a keyboard," said Mike Bowe, a Manhattan-based attorney representing 34 women accusing Pornhub of sex trafficking and child pornography in an ongoing federal racketeering lawsuit in California filed in 2021. 

"I've never seen someone with, so few resources make such a big impact on such an important issue," Bowe added.

Pornhub's Legal Woes Intensify

In the face of these challenges, Mickelwait is optimistic that Pornhub's spiraling legal issues — which could result in damages amounting to tens of millions of dollars — might be the decisive factor leading to its downfall.

 Business Insider reported that nearly 300 plaintiffs have filed lawsuits, alleging that before the 2020 content purge, videos of their abuse were uploaded to Pornhub without consent and remained online for weeks or even months after being flagged.

In just the past month alone, more than a dozen new lawsuits have been filed, with many more expected to follow. "We are in the process of filing cases on behalf of approximately 250 victims, with more reaching out weekly," Bowe told Business Insider.