“Takedown” traces the faith-based fight to shut down Pornhub

(CRITICISM) ​​Over the past four years, PornHub – one of the most visited sites on the Internet – has faced a reckoning of epic proportions.

Headlines from 2020 announced the removal of 80% of the site's unverified content and identity verification requirements for performers – something PornHub had never required before.

In January of this year, the site announced it would require all performers to provide proof of consent. In March, Texas users were blocked from accessing the site because state law requires users to verify their age before viewing content on the site. (Texas is not the first state to receive one of these bans.)

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The reason for this reckoning is the efforts of sex trafficking activist Laila Mickelwait, which she describes in her new book, “Takedown: Inside the Fight to Shut Down PornHub for Child Abuse, Rape and Sex Trafficking.”

Mickelwait is an activist, not a journalist or writer of narrative nonfiction, so the book is a little choppy at times. Nevertheless, it is essential reading, especially for those concerned about the global sex trade.

The events are told chronologically from Mickelwait's perspective, interspersed with glimpses into her private life. She describes her activist work alone and with others, including journalists and lawyers.

It started in 2020 when Mickelwait discovered that creators on PornHub could upload any video they wanted instantly, without any verification.

Mickelwait delved into several horrifying missteps on the site, which led her to realize that, as she writes, “every homemade video on the site is a potential crime.” That realization sparked the launch of the #Traffickinghub campaign, a social media movement designed to counteract the altruistic branding that PornHub once invested time in.

The book contains graphic descriptions of the videos Mickelwait found and was led to in the course of this work. They are haunting and repulsive, but necessary to make clear how damaging this content is – and how deep it goes. She describes child abuse, violent racism, abuse and even torture. Mickelwait treats the victims with unfailing and absolute respect; it is clear that she is sharing their tragic stories not out of a desire to exploit them, but to gain support for her cause.

In fact, she shares her mission right at the beginning, calling on readers to share their stories and expertise with her to continue the important work of sex trafficking education. The book is unconventional in this regard—rather than presenting herself as the ultimate expert, Mickelwait simply presents herself as a trusted and committed leader who is open to working with anyone.

In some ways, the book even serves as a guide for activists: she explains her social media strategy and the way she spoke to policy makers and company bosses.

Following the advice of many to “follow the money,” Mickelwait embarked on a journey that led her to investigate former PornHub executives – some of whom can only be classified as former executives because of Mickelwait's work. She began working with other advocacy organizations such as Exodus Cry, a Christian organization dedicated to ending all sex work and illegal sex trafficking.

Mickelwait emphasizes that she is happy to work with any person or organization, regardless of their political affiliation, religious beliefs, or other views, but she also shares how her personal faith has grown and changed throughout this journey.

When she hit rock bottom, she grabbed her Bible and opened it to a random page. It described exactly what she was going through. It was scary and eventually led her to realize that “there was something beyond me that was with me in my darkest moments.”

She also began working with journalist Nicholas Kristof, who Article “The Children of Pornhub” in December 2020. The article shook the foundations of PornHub and a large amount of unverified content was removed – 80% of the site’s total content, which equates to over 10 million videos.

Mickelwait describes the relationships she built with young victims, detailing how she and her attorney, Michael Bowie, helped these girls remove their illegal and harmful content when PornHub was hesitant. She supported them through other stages of their lives and became a mentor to them. These relationships, she writes, are why she was able to keep going despite doxxing, death threats, and more:

“This fight for justice is not just about a website and pixels on a screen. It's about real, living, breathing, feeling people. People who have been gravely hurt by those who abused them and by the men who run this website that perpetuates their trauma.”

The second half of the book focuses on Mickelwait's efforts to get major credit card companies Visa, Mastercard and Discover to cut their ties with PornHub, an effort that was ultimately successful. After a long, arduous back-and-forth made easier by her connection to billionaire activist Bill Ackman, the three companies now refuse to process payments for the subscription service Pornhub Premium or advertising revenue from its partner TrafficJunky.

This was another major blow to the site, and that was Mickelwait's goal from the beginning.

However, she still believes the work is not done, writing in a letter to readers at the end of the book: “We are not giving up the fight to shut down Pornhub, and I hope you will join me and many others who are continuing. We are so close.”