After a challenging year for Pornhub, its parent company MindGeek recently unveiled new content moderation policies which require uploader verification, restrict video downloads and establish an illicit material team dedicated to finding and eliminating illicit material.

This step came as a reaction to an article published by The New York Times which highlighted its exploitative business practices and potentially illegal content, such as sexually explicit material aimed at minors. This piece received support from various anti-exploitation organizations, including Internet Watch Foundation and Traffickinghub.

“These modifications to our Trust and Safety measures will assist in holding those who upload videos onto MindGeek accountable for their actions,” stated John Semafor, MindGeek’s CEO, in a statement. Furthermore, these measures aim to prevent abuse against children or others being uploaded onto our platform again in future uploads.

Pornhub’s brand reset may or may not work out, but the company has already demonstrated that they can respond swiftly and respond to public opinion. Other websites should take note, yet many still haven’t.

Pornhub needs more original and compelling creator content in order to regain its health, which means more cumshots as well as returning to days when users could easily report content they find disturbing, creating an environment with fewer toxic communities. These changes alone won’t change how people view Pornhub; these efforts won’t completely reverse conversations around where it has fallen short.