CNN reported that the production company paid the website to stream its pornographic content from 2017 to 2019 – which Aylo knew included videos of women who did not give their consent.

The company that operates Pornhub and other adult websites acknowledged in federal court that it had profited for years from pornographic content that depicted sex trafficking victims. Aylo Holdings S.A.R.L., Pornhub’s parent company, pleaded not guilty to a charge of engaging in unlawful monetary transactions involving sex trafficking proceeds. But through an agreement with prosecutors, the company agreed to pay damages to women who said they were forced to appear in pornographic videos that were then posted to the company’s websites without their consent.

CNN reported that the production company paid the website to stream its pornographic content from 2017 to 2019 – which Aylo knew included videos of women who did not give their consent. “We were troubled to learn that a production company used criminal means to produce its content and submitted consent documentation that we now know was obtained by fraud and coercion. We must be vigilant to stop those seeking to use our platforms illegally, and to respond to ever-changing threats and challenges,” the company said, as quoted by a report by CNN.

Under the settlement announced, Canada-based Aylo agreed to pay a criminal fine and forfeiture totaling $1.845 million to the U.S. government. In addition, Aylo has agreed to provide payments to victims of the sex-trafficking content operators who have not otherwise already received compensation and whose images were posted on Aylo’s platforms.

According to a report in New York Times, Aylo, which was previously called MindGeek, operates several websites that allow third parties to post and distribute adult content, according to prosecutors. In 2009, Aylo began hosting pornographic videos created by the production companies GirlsDoPorn and GirlsDoToys.

Between 2016 and 2019, prosecutors said, Aylo received numerous messages from women who said that they had been tricked into filming videos for GirlsDoPorn and GirlsDoToys and that the videos had been published on Pornhub.com without their consent.

Aylo said in a statement it “deeply regrets” having hosted content produced by GirlsDoPorn and GirlsDoToys. “While the production company provided the platforms with written documentation that purported to be consent forms signed by women who were featured in the GDP/GDT productions, and Aylo was unaware of GDP/GDT’s criminal conduct, Aylo now understands that those forms were obtained by GDP/GDT through fraud and coercion,” the company said.