Mindgeek has pulled the life support on their counterpart XTube after the company was blasted for turning a blind eye to illegal material.
In what feels like an attempt to limit the controversy swirling around Mindgeek, the company that disseminates pornographic material, has announced the axing of counter-part site, XTube.
Whilst Mindgeek have said that this decision comes down to a desire to “move on to greener pastures and greater things.”
We all know their reasons go a little deeper than that…
In December 2020, Pornhub announced that it would prevent unverified users from uploading content, after New York Times discovered a tangled web of illegal material was accessible on the site, including child abuse, revenge porn and rape.
Since then Pornhub and Mindgeek have scrambled to redeem the site’s reputation, claiming to have been unaware of this and pulling all illegal material from their sites.
The announcement of XTube’s retirement is supposedly due to its monetary value and poor ratings within the porn community.
According to similarweb traffic figures, XTube’s interest has been continually dropping. In the grand scheme of things, it ranks poorly (158th) compared to Mindgeek’s other sites like Pornhub (3rd), YouPorn (13th), and RedTube (19th).
this cut me deep. pic.twitter.com/XckWaLsCiB
— the dark lord’s whore (@serious__black) July 5, 2021
However, not everyone believes that this is the sole reason behind the end of XTube and that this is more likely the result of its illegal content.
In November 2020, prior to New York Times report, XTube harboured 115,000 videos.
Their number currently sits at a modest 35,000, arousing suspicion that the majority of its content was illegal, non-consensual and abusive.
Mindgeek’s sudden decision to banish XTube from its repertoire feels like a survival tactic, particularly after credit card companies’ pulled out from partnerships with Pornhub, following their scandal.
The shutdown of XTube has left caused some to question the longevity of smaller Mindgeek platforms, whilst others hope it initiates the end of Pornhub altogether.
BREAKING: Major MindGeek porn tube site Xtube is SHUTTING DOWN September 5.
Lesson: If you can’t operate legally, you can’t operate at all.
Next up: Pornhub.#Traffickinghub #ShutItDown #GoodbyeXtube pic.twitter.com/gkvYeKE5wP
— Laila Mickelwait (@LailaMickelwait) July 6, 2021
The site will be officially pulled by September 5th, so get that final pull in!
