Former Aylo compliance employee reveals “so much room for error” in unverified porn ads

“We’ve had people come in and be like, ‘Yeah, take that down. That’s me.’”

KEY POINTS:

Jenna Rolfe, former Aylo supervisor and compliance employee: “We don’t know who the model [displayed on Pornhub and other Aylo sites] is. And that’s the problem.”

Rolfe: “It has happened where people post things. And then they’ll be scrolling Pornhub. And then we’ve had people come in and be like, ‘Yeah, take that ad down. That’s me.’… It’s so hard because if you’re not a Pornhub user, how would you know? People won’t even see their own face if it’s up there [Pornhub or other Aylo porn site].”

Rolfe: “You can’t verify for everything… You delete it. It’s reuploaded 20 million times faster than you can actually review it, delete it, go through it.”

Rolfe: “Any concern you get [from Aylo] is always going to be lip service.”

Rolfe: “[Aylo] really denied, denied, denied… they just said, ‘Oh, well. You know. Things happen.’”

[MONTREAL – November 1]

Sound Investigations releases a new undercover video of former Aylo (formerly MindGeek) compliance employee, Jenna Rolfe. Among other responsibilities, up until August 2023, Rolfe reviewed pornographic images and videos advertisers pay Aylo to display on Pornhub and Aylo’s other pornography websites.

Rolfe criticizes her recent employer not only for accepting and displaying videos where neither Aylo nor the advertiser can verify the age or consent of models shown but the permissive moderation policies her superiors told moderators to use to spot check videos and images. Rolfe says she spoke up internally against the Aylo policy that Aylo moderators must approve any images or videos with models with “tattoos and piercings and makeup,” despite not all such models being 18 and legal pornography models. Rolfe’s team told her not making this age assumption would “[lose] income for the clients [advertisers].” Rolfe sighs, “Any concern you get is always going to be lips service.”

Victims of sexual crimes have criticized Pornhub and Aylo’s other businesses for hosting reuploaded nonconsensual and illegal content, even if a moderator does respond to one instance. Rolfe confirms this continued travesty at Aylo. “You can’t verify for everything… You delete it. It’s reuploaded 20 million times faster than you can actually review it, delete it, go through it.”

Solomon Friedman, a cofounder of Aylo’s owner, Ethical Capital Partners, claimed earlier this year Aylo “had created the best-in-class online trust and safety automation tools.” In the undercover video, Rolfe gives her inside view that contradicts the public relations statements.

With the rise of computer-generated porn of nonconsenting persons, Rolfe fears Aylo is unequipped to deal with malicious uploaders who “know [technology] faster than we do.”

Rolfe says the lack of verification for uploads is not a theoretical problem but a reality she has faced hearing from victims. “We know that that’s an advertiser, but we don’t know who the model is. And that’s the biggest problem. You can have a scummy person who literally has underage OnlyFans girls. And he’s just pushing out these ads. And no one would know any different… We’ve had people come in and be like, ‘Yeah, take that ad down. That’s me.’” Rolfe elaborates that the Aylo’s content removal policies are reactive, rather than preventative. “If you’re not a Pornhub user, how would you know [if Aylo is display you in a pornographic image or video]?”

Many U.S. states and European nations are adopting laws to require online pornography companies to require IDs to prevent minors from accessing their sites. Aylo has vigorously opposed these laws. Rolfe breaks with the company line on this issue, as well, saying the laws are “a great thing… I like seeing it… We should all be taking some form of initiative to protect children.”

As Aylo continues to deny allegations of misconduct, Rolfe advises her former employer that “taking accountability and admitting to fault” while holding studios and advertisers accountable would be a better course of action. “[Aylo] really denied, denied, denied… they just said, ‘Oh, well. You know. Things happen.’”

This is a developing story. Sound Investigations will be releasing more undercover videos imminently. Contact [email protected] or ‪404-955-7002.

Sound Investigations is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

Jenna Rolfe LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenna-r-a5833394/
Jenna Rolfe LinkedIn archived: https://archive.ph/nrw1W