Xtube is shutting down, speculations of abuse and illegal content
Bears, you’re going to have to find another site to watch your favorite porn!
XTube, which was the first site to allow users to upload and share their own porn, is closing down, according to Out Magazine.
XTube is not reall giving to much of an explanation about why it’s closing, but Mind Geek, its parent company, has been the target of many lawsuits that include allegations of human trafficking and illegal content involving minors, rape and revenge porn. It is speculated that many of these allegations are linked to XTube. This sounds a lot like what has happened to lots of other sites in the past, including Tumblr and Craigslist.
“It’s a sad day for us a XTube, but we have to announce that after 13 years, XTube.com will be shutting down September 5th,” XTube announced in a statement, which has also been circulated on Twitter.
“We’re proud of the vibrant community we’ve built since 2008, and we’re grateful to all of you who have shared your content on our platform. Unfortunately, it’s time for us to move on to greener pastures and greater things.”
“If you can’t operate legally, you can’t operate at all”, says anti-trafficking activist and founder and CEO of Justice Defense Fund Laila Mickelwait, who celebrated the news on Twitter and warned that Pornhub, another Mind Geek site, just might be next.
“The online porn industry has essentially been the Red Light District of commerce,” said Michael Bowe, an attorney representing 34 women alleging that they have been exploited on PornHub, told CBS News last month. “This new industry of online porn, for the last 10 years, has been allowed by law enforcement, government entities, to operate by a different set of rules. Basically, no rules or oversight.”
Mind Geek has denied all allegations of abuse and illegal activity, calling the allegations “absolutely absurd”, and listing the steps it had taken to prevent the uploading of illegal and abusive content on its sites.
This comes as a huge blow to amatuer content creators and others who frequently use the site. XTube claims to have over 9 million subscribers.
XTube will close on September 5, but they have already disabled the ability for users to upload new content. Users will be able to download content using their left over credits. However, no new subscriptions or credits will be authorized, and payouts will be given out by September 16.
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