Ottawa working to address child pornography, PM says as Pornhub faces media criticism

Photo: The Canadian Press

In this Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2019, photo a woman types on a keyboard in New York. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the federal government is working with police and security agencies to address sex trafficking and child pornography after a U.S. newspaper report highlighted activities of Montreal-based PornHub. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Jenny Kane

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the federal government is working with police and security agencies to address sex trafficking and child pornography after a U.S. newspaper report highlighted activities of Montreal-based Pornhub.

The New York Times examined the popular pornography website that attracts billions of visits monthly to videos including those purported to involve child rapes and exploitation.

A group of Canadian lawmakers recently petitioned the government to take action against Pornhub and its parent company MindGeek for profiting from "mass sexual crime."

The letter to Justice Minister David Lametti followed a previous missive in the spring asking Trudeau to investigate.

PayPal cut off payment services for the company in late 2019 and credit card companies have been asked to do the same.

Visa, Mastercard and American Express didn't immediately respond with comments.

"We are always extremely concerned with gender-based violence, with exploitation of minors, with child pornography," Trudeau said Friday outside his Ottawa residence.

"We're going to continue to work with police agencies and security agencies and all means possible to ensure that all Canadians are kept safe."