XVideos Sued for Profiting from Child Sexual Abuse and Trafficking

The National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE) announced the filing of a class-action lawsuit against XVideos for profiting from sex trafficking; for the receipt and distribution of child pornography; and for failing in their duty to report child sexual abuse material.

The suit was filed on behalf of Jane Doe, who was trafficked when she was only 14 years old, and on behalf of others harmed by the company. Now an adult, and using a pseudonym to protect her privacy, NCOSE said the young lady “represents the class of numerous victims who, as children, had their child sexual abuse images published and monetized by this online international pornography company.”

The case was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, in Los Angeles, and it also names XVideos’ parent company, WebGroup Czech Republic (WGCZ), along with interrelated businesses and holdings connected with the corporation.

“As a child, Jane Doe was trafficked and sold for sex. Many of these sex acts were recorded on video and uploaded to the XVideos website. At least four videos that included Jane Doe being trafficked as a minor have been identified on WGCZ sites. At least one ‘content partner’ and official ‘channel’ on XVideos disseminated these illegal videos of Jane Doe’s rape,” the anti-trafficking organization said.

After Nicholas Kristoff reported at The New York Times about the child pornography and rape videos on PornHub, reporters from the Czechoslovakian newspaper Deník N (Diary N) began researching and publishing a series on XVideos and WGCZ, which are headquartered “in an apartment building near Prague’s Wenceslas Square.”

Jakub Zelenka and Lukáš Prchal wrote in January that “the Czech website Xvideos contains footage of children and violence. … The problem is almost identical to PornHub. For example, anyone can upload pedophile videos to the server with minimal control. All you need is a functional e-mail.”

Zelenka and Prchal discovered that “the Supreme Public Prosecutor’s Office of the Czech Republic and the criminal police are interested in the XVideos server operated by WGCZ Holding.”

“The police are dealing with the case in connection with the fact that the website provides illegal content,” they said, writing that Visa and Mastercard were investigating their connection with Xvideos.

Senior Legal Counsel for the NCOSE Law Center applauded Jane Doe’s courage in filing the lawsuit, adding, “XVideos not only violated the law by hosting Jane Doe’s child sexual abuse material, it profited from her abuse given that each image and video of her was monetized. This cannot be allowed to stand and remain unchallenged. Victims of childhood sexual abuse such as Jane Doe unequivocally deserve justice.”

“As of January 2021, XVideos is the most frequently visited pornography website in the world and the 7th most trafficked website in the world, visited more than Netflix, Amazon, and Wikipedia, with over 3 billion visits a month,” NCOSE wrote.

NCOSE is working in a number of arenas to expose and end sexual abuse and exploitation. In February, it helped bring a class-action lawsuit against MindGeek, the Canadian company that owns a number of pornographic websites, including Pornhub. “The representative class members are two survivors of childhood sex trafficking whose videos and images of their sexual abuse were posted on Pornhub and other MindGeek-owned sites,” the organization reported.

Among other projects, NCOSE fights to protect children from pornography in schools and libraries, through Safe Schools, Safe Libraries. The group also publishes an annual Dirty Dozen List, pointing out “twelve mainstream entities for facilitating or profiting from sexual abuse and exploitation.” This year’s list includes Twitter, Amazon, Netflix, Google’s Chromebooks, the state of Nevada, and EBSCO, which provides online services to libraries, schools, and colleges and universities around the globe. 

Related articles and resources:

Jane Doe v. WebGroup Czech Republic et al, 

Growing Outcry for DOJ to Investigate and Shut Down Pornhub for Obscenity, Child Exploitation and Sex Trafficking

Mastercard and Visa Cut Connection with Pornhub – Senators Introduce Bill Empowering Victims to Sue Pornography Websites

Pornhub Makes Money on Videos of Rape and Assault of Children

From Focus on the Family:

Help for victims of sexual abuse and assault

Plugged In Parent’s Guide to Today’s Technology

Resources for those struggling with pornography and sexual addiction

Focus on the Family Counseling Consultation and Referrals:

To request a conversation with Focus on the Family’s Counseling Department, call 1-855-771-HELP (4357) weekdays from 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. (Mountain Time), or complete our Counseling Consultation Request Form. Please be prepared to leave your contact information for a counselor to return a call to you as soon as possible. The consultation is available at no cost to you due to generous donor support and will be with one of our licensed or pastoral counseling specialists.

Photo from NCSE

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