An Alabama man produced porn with a minor and uploaded it to PornHub where it remained for over two years, authorities say.
Police arrested Michael Terrell Williams Tuesday and booked him into the Tuscaloosa County jail, setting his bond at $75,000, according to a local ABC News outlet. He has been charged with producing porn with a minor and with possession of obscene material, the publication reported.
His arrest came after an 18-year-old woman told authorities that there was a video on PornHub.com showing her as a 16-year-old in a sex act with Williams, the local ABC News outlet reported. The video was uploaded on February 27, 2018, the publication reported that court records show, and had been viewed 2,447 times.
Williams had a PornHub account which included both a picture of Williams and a picture of his Alabama drivers license, the publication reported. The photograph of Williams reportedly depicted Williams holding a piece of paper that read “BigTankDog on pornhub.com.”
PornHub allows users to become verified if they create an account, upload an avatar to their account, and upload a verification image of “you holding up a sign with your username and pornhub.com written on it (or write it on your body).” (RELATED: We Watched Netflix’s ‘Cuties’ So You Don’t Have To)
“Any user can be become[sic] a Verified Member,” PornHub’s website says. “To do so head on over to the Verification Page and submit a photo of yourself holding a piece of paper with your username and pornhub.com written on it.”
PornHub cooperated with authorities who ascertained that the video did show Williams involved in a sex act with the woman, who was a minor at the time, the local ABC news outlet reported.
The arrest occurred after William’s account was verified by PornHub, the publication reported. It is not immediately clear when PornHub verified William’s account. Neither PornHub nor the Tuscaloosa Sheriff’s office immediately responded to requests for comment from the Daily Caller News Foundation.
Anti-porn groups criticized PornHub for allowing the video to be uploaded, saying that PornHub did not verify the age or consent of the woman in the video. PornHub did not immediately respond to a request for comment as to whether PornHub verified the age or consent of the woman in William’s video.
“Yet another incident of Pornhub hosting videos of a minor being raped on their site,” tweeted the anti-porn group Fight The New Drug. “It appears that Pornhub verifies accounts without verifying the consent/age of the participants. That’s only one reason why this keeps happening.”
Yet another incident of Pornhub hosting videos of a minor being raped on their site. It appears that Pornhub verifies accounts without verifying the consent/age of the participants. That’s only one reason why this keeps happening.#StopTheDemandhttps://t.co/cSHnFyfVmb
— FTND (@FightTheNewDrug) September 17, 2020
“Pornhub intentionally places a download button on every video,” anti-porn activist Laila Mickelwait tweeted. “Pornhub is complicit in the distribution and monetization of child pornography and trafficking (CSAM). Hold them accountable. Shut it down and lock them up!”
Pornhub intentionally places a download button on every video. Pornhub is complicit in the distribution and monetization of child pornography and trafficking (CSAM). Hold them accountable. Shut it down and lock them up! #Traffickinghubhttps://t.co/uuMnxnzOe8
— Laila Mickelwait (@LailaMickelwait) September 17, 2020
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