Takedown: Inside the Fight to Shut Down Pornhub for Child Abuse, Rape, and Sex Trafficking

by Laila Mickelwait

NATIONAL BESTSELLER
The gripping, true story of one woman’s battle to expose and shut down a criminal online porn empire.

Pornhub was the 10th most visited site on the Internet, often praised as a progressive champion of women. Then one day, an activist discovered a secret they had been keeping from the world for over a decade: it was infested with child sexual abuse and rape videos.

Now for the first time, anti-trafficking expert and mother of two Laila Mickelwait tells the story of her battle against Pornhub’s billionaire executives and the credit card companies who helped them monetize the abuse of countless victims—some as young as three years old. Readers will follow her from her first horrifying discovery of criminal content on Pornhub to closed-door meetings with credit card executives, White House and Justice Department senior officials, a powerful hedge-fund manager and more. Through insider accounts from Pornhub moderators and executives, you’ll meet the world’s first online porn tycoon, AKA “the Zuckerberg of porn,” along with Pornhub’s top brass (known internally as “The Bro Club”) who operate in secrecy.

The culmination of years of activism, Takedown is the true, never before told story of how Mickelwait mobilized a movement of two million people that resulted in "the biggest takedown of content in Internet history." (Financial Times)

Genres: Nonfiction, True Crime, Audiobook, Feminism, History, Journalism, Womens

320 pages, Hardcover

First published July 30, 2024

Reviews

[Jess Owens · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think it's important to note this book is not anti-porn, it is anti-child abuse, rape, and sex trafficking.

I am so confused by some of the reviews that are upset at the author for making a clear distinction between porn between consenting adults and child abuse, rape, and sex trafficking. Hello, those are distinctly different. And very important to repeat the different and make note that she was not trying to come after the porn industry because that's a slippery slope. But some of these reviews, people are like porn leads to sex trafficking, it's evil, it leads to abuse?? Maybe I haven't read the studies (do they exist?) but I think that's a REACH.

ANYWAY, to the book. I listened to the audio and I was engrossed, got through it in 2 days. I have seen an article at some point talking about this, but didn't read much into it. I did not realize the extent of abusive sexual content was on PornHub. I didn't realize how popular the site/company was/is or how many subsidiaries they have. The CEOs make stupid amounts of money and of course one of them barely pays their own staff, EAT THE RICH. They make all this money but don't have enough moderators to review content because they want MORE MONEY. AGAIN, EAT THE RICH.

There's nothing wrong with consenting adults, professionals or not, who want to make sexual content and post it. THE PROBLEM IS THE AMOUNT OF SICKOS WHO ABUSE PEOPLE AND RECORD IT AND PUT IT ONLINE. The amount of young women who had videos of them put on PornHub, would try to get it taken down and couldn't?! Or they had to go through numerous steps to prove it was them, prove they were underage when it happened, but no one had to confirm any information when it was uploaded? Also, that there was a DOWNLOAD button??!?!?!?!? So nasties could have this content on their computers or phones, my god. DISGUSTED isn't the word.

And then the CREDIT CARD COMPANIES!!!!!! DON'T GET ME STARTED ON THEIR RAGGEDY ASSES. I am so proud of (I don't know her) this author for not giving up and hounding these trifling ass companies until they did the right thing (and parted ways with PH). I thought it was really compelling listening to all she went through while fighting this. Feeling like she wasn't spending enough time with her kids or her husband, the threats, the attacks.

It really goes to show you that CAPITALISM runs everything and truly is the root of all evil. They want to make as much money as possible as quickly as possible and the feelings, emotions, mental health, safety of people do not matter. I think this is a worthy read. I also appreciate the message to fight for something you really believe in and the call to action at the end if you want to join the fight because sadly it's not over. But kudos to Mickelwait and all the people who worked with her because they've done amazing work, gotten MILLIONS of abusive/underage videos taken down, and it wasn't easy.

So again, PORNOGRAPHY is NOT THE SAME AS CHILD ABUSE/RAPE/SEX TRAFFICKING CONTENT. THERE IS A DIFFERENCE AND IT'S IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER THAT.

ALSO A BIG EFF YOU TO ALL THE HIGHER UPS AND THESE CORPORATIONS THAT WERE/ARE COMPLICIT IN THE PROLIFERATION OF THIS CONTENT BECAUSE ALL YOU CARE ABOUT IS ANOTHER DOLLAR. SUCK IT.

[Bookishrealm]

This was such a difficult book to read and I'm not sure I even have the worlds to describe my reaction. Here's the thing, there is some informative and devastating content in here about how Pornhub allowed for the abuse, rape, and sex trafficking of minors and other individuals by not having any standards in relation to who could upload what content. However, I would implore every reader to make their own judgements about Laila Mickelwait's ties to Exodus Cry. CW: there are a lot, but I would be mindful of the graphic descriptions of rape, assault, sexual abuse of minors and other non-consenting individuals. Laila does not censor anything out.

What Worked: To be fair, prior to reading this book I was not well informed about the nature of Pornhub's lack of safety initiatives to protect non-consenting individuals especially minors. There were no safety checks, no need to provide proper documentation/verification of identity, etc. Essentially, it was a free for all where individuals could upload and then reupload any content. Content that depicted the most heinous and unimaginable crimes towards children. Leila clearly worked hard and took a massive amount of risks (risks that lead to the hacking of her information and her family's information, death threats, surveillance, false accusations and more) to hold Pornhub as well as their affiliates accountable for the damage they were doing to the lives of others for the sake of money. The connections/reveals were INSANE. And call me naïve, but I was shocked how major organizations that VISA and Mastercard had to have their hands forced in order to finally cut ties with the website. No one should be subject to the shame, trauma, and humiliation that Pornhub permitted to happen.

What Didn't Work: I wouldn't say that anything didn't work about this one; however, I did have some lingering questions about Laila's affiliation's with Exodus Cry. At some point she served as their director of abolition. This organization does work to stop sex trafficking; however, they have also been cited as wanting to abolish all sex work and their founder, Benjamin Nolot, has been known for his anti-gay rhetoric. I'm not currently aware of Laila's continued affiliation with this group; however, it is something to take into account when consuming the content of this book. Laila mentions it briefly, but I do implore readers to do their own personal research.

Because of my conflicting views about this, I'm not going to leave this one unrated.

[Jillian B · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was a bit unsure if I would like this book going into it. I had heard of the author, and I was under the misconception that she might be some sort of intensely right-wing crusader. I was pleasantly surprised! The author comes off as an intelligent and feminist woman on a justice-informed mission to remove sexual assault and child abuse content from a site run by a greedy corporation. I like that it’s told in present tense, as if we are fighting these battles alongside her. Stars of consensual pornography are portrayed not as enemies, but as allies in the fight. This book’s real villains are the obscenely wealthy men profiting off of others’ abuse.

MASSIVE CONTENT WARNING: This book includes vivid descriptions of truly horrific abuse. It does strengthen the story by showing the magnitude of the crimes happening, but it is definitely hard to read about. I would definitely advise being discerning in deciding whether to pick this book up and whether to read the whole thing. I do think that for most people, this book is worth reading.

[Anthony · Rating 4 out of 5]

Detailed, thrilling read on the evil that continues to be PornHub and its multi-year struggle holding them accountable for child trafficking, rape and more. While the author clearly states that she is a lapsed Christian not holding an anti-porn stance, it often feels like a more serious stance is needed personally and morally despite her clear and strong conviction within her organization and amidst her unending support for victims. This is because Laila acknowledges that she doesn't want to alienate her supportive activist allies through bi-partisan opinions that would be easily reproachable (anti-porn). However, it is difficult not to draw one's own conclusion in that a pre-internet porn era was, in fact, an easier and safer time for victims. In other words, like most technologies, or as was the case with cigarettes once upon a time, is the cost worth it?

Laila has done what we all dream of doing -- standing up against evil no matter the personal cost. And she has been able to put that into a written form to catch us readers up in a powerful way. This is an engrossing read of a true evil that requires each and every one of us to step up and join her and her allies in a fight against true malevolence.

[Kirstin · Rating 5 out of 5]

“ Takedown” is an absolutely gripping true crime thriller that chronicles Laila’s courageous battle against the internet giant Pornhub. I couldn't put it down! At many points my heart was literally racing with each turn of the page. Her story is both heartbreaking and empowering, a testament to the strength of the human spirit and a call to action for all of us to stand against exploitation and abuse.

I found her (very well documented) journey to be particularly powerful because she is just a regular person who found extraordinary courage to take this cause as her own.
Her story is a beacon of hope and inspiration, especially for young women who might doubt their ability to make a difference. “Takedown” is a glorious example that one person’s determination to be brave, day after day, can unify millions of people to join a cause. She now has an army of organizations and regular people standing beside her demanding justice for victims because she was brave enough to shine a light into a dark corner of the internet. Five stars!

[Tris Dandie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book in two days, and I could hardly put it down. The courage and strength of Laila and this whole team was incredible to read about. Although I’ve seen the news articles about this and was aware of some of the major steps in this process, reading about how it all came together and how fiercely PH and the credit card companies tried to prevent it from happening - wow. Please read this book, it is so important.

[Emily Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

AH! I'm struggling to rate this..

First, let me say this: DO NOT READ THIS IF YOU WERE/ARE ADDICTED TO AND/OR TRIGGERED BY SEXUALLY EXPLICIT CONTENT/PORN IN ANY WAY.

This book is extremely graphic----and that is my biggest problem with it.

The story she is telling is GREAT though... I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. And her mission was of course nobel. YES we need to knock "Trafficking" Hub down into hell for knowingly profiting off child sexual abuse. YES we need to make MasterCard, Visa, and Discover PAY for their participation in this fricken tragedy. They knew what they were doing. She beats the fricking crap out of MasterCard in particular. I legit might cancel my visa card because of their shenanigans as described in this book. I can only hope that FOOL of a man she was dealing with has since been fired for his blatant disregard of evidence....

Anyway. I digress. The story is only partly about taking the rich, amoral, elites down; it's true focus is the salvation of this industry's victims. Laila did an excellent job advocating for all those poor souls...people who had been sexually abused as children. Children who grew up only to find they had to relive that trauma because TraffickingHub allowed their videos to circulate, unregulated and unchecked, all to generate revenue. Sick.
May God have mercy on us.

Now. Here is where my complaints come in:

1. Laila is totally fine with 'consensual' studio pornography with paid professional consenting adults actors. Sheesh. See how many qualifiers I had to add in there? I don't think something truly GOOD for humanity would ever require so many qualifiers 🙄

Can we please stop treating porn as some empowering right we all must accept? Porn is not a 'turn the other way if you don't like it' kind of issue. Porn is EVIL. Even if it is so called 'consensual' and between adults in a safe and clean environment, it still deeply violates and wounds the dignity of the human person. I know most people won't want to hear that or want to believe it, but I'm, or rather my GOD, is right because he CREATED us and knows what will lead to human flourishing and it's not fricken porn.

BUT here is the thing...regardless of your anthropological beliefs, at the end of the day, PORN in any flipping form is LITERALLY what FUELS the sex trafficking/abuse/pedophilia industry. Soooo it's pretty much insane to me that she several times in this book qualified her crusade by saying she is OK with adult/consensual porn when THAT is in fact the root of the problem.

2. Laila describes the abuse in VIVID detail. I can understand how something like sharing the names of tags that TraffickingHun's algorithm used to generate views/money around this content could be good to name BUT to describe actual abuse in explicit detail seems like going too far. I'm willing to hear counter arguments, but personally I found it gratuitous and irresponsible. Honestly some of the descriptions were so detailed I half thought to myself 'I bet the abuser would love to read this book to relive this moment since the video is gone now". . . That is NOT ok. I get that we need to know how evil it is but just...WOW. I don't know. By the grace of God I'm OK and I've never struggled with anything like this, but it was hard to listen to. I feel like she could have told the story, in all its legitimate horror, without TELLING the story if you get what I mean. I also get that the point is to shock the reader...because whether we like it or not these are REAL horrors perpetrated against children but I'm still convinced she could have found a better way to make the same horrible point ..

All in all the book was good don't get me wrong, I just don't know that I'd recommend anyone else read it ... Try instead to catch one of the mainstream news articles about this. That will be enough I think.

[Dana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I feel like this book should be more popular than it is. I know it was released recently and frankly the only reason I read it is because I got sent it for free because I was an early supporter of the cause which I don't even remember... But I'm on the listserv so I still get the emails. This was a very powerful book and I'm very thankful for reading it. It doesn't pull any punches and does explicitly describe much sexual abuse Laila witnessed on the site. I found it a very compelling read and was enraptured but the journey to cut off the credit card companies and publicize the victim's stories. I'm still infuriated by that VP of MasterCard that kept asking for proof like bro READ YOUR EMAILS!!!! Dude should be fired. Gross incompetence and negligence.

I will say I wasn't a fan of the author's writing style, it was very matter-of-fact and cut and dry. It was a little boring but I think this story needed that. Would still recommend to anyone interested in justice and true crime.

[Cecily Wang · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Takedown” isn’t about pornography—it’s a powerful account of Laila Mickelwait’s relentless battle against rape and child sexual exploitation, enabled by platforms like Pornhub.

This book uncovers the unfathomable truth of child sex trafficking, a reality so disturbing that many choose to turn away. But ignoring this atrocity only allows it to persist.

When we bear witness to such an injustice, we are faced with a choice:
1. Ignore it.
2. Despair over it.
3. Acknowledge it, even if not ready to confront it.
4. Spread awareness.
5. Support the fight.
6. Take direct action to help end it.

Each of us has the power to make a difference, and together, we can create the change needed to stop this injustice. If more of us commit to steps 3-6, we can bring an end to this crisis much sooner. Laila’s relentless efforts have already made a profound and undeniable impact. You don’t need to be on the front lines to contribute—every action, no matter how small, moves us closer to justice.

Read this book. Share it. This is a story that must be heard.

[Lexi Sølvhammer · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you haven’t been aware of trafficking before you will definitely be shocked to read this book. And even though you know about it this book will make your jaw drop.

The author has gone through so much research and been in contact with so many people it’s unbelievable the hard work she has put into this book and the course she is fighting for.

Even though I’ve been a true crime reader for many years and have heard a lot of absolutely horrific cases I have to admit the information in this book was very shocking.

It’s a very well written piece however it will leave you uncomfortable every now and then. From time to time I felt nauseous and very uncomfortable.

If you’re faint of heart this book will not be for you.

* This review has been published on multiple platforms

[Aaron · Rating 5 out of 5]

Takedown is a phenomenal book that exposes adult entertainment for what it is, full of illegal content and lack of care by the public, corporations, and governments to do anything about it. This book I hope could inspire you to rethink your relationship with adult entertainment. While I think that the fight against illegal content will never end, I believe that it is still something to fight at the individual level by controlling yourself.

[emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

everyone needs to read this

[Sophie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an anti-trafficking and anti-exploitation book, not an anti-porn book. The author details her fight against internet giant Pornhub and its parent company MindGeek, as well as detailing victims’ stories (including those who were trafficked, assaulted, abused, raped, etc) and how PH and MG are wrapped into those stories. The author also explains the financial backing and funding involved with PH and MG, legal loopholes and implications, and operations within PH and MG and the exploitative culture of the leadership of those companies. It also follows the author’s tumultuous journey, full of death threats, doxxing, and legal persecution from individuals and corporations alike.

There are pretty horrific stories of victims detailed. This was a tough read that I pushed through in 1 day because I wanted to get it over with, but nonetheless, an important topic that people too easily turn the other cheek on due to the unpleasant nature and details. Ignoring bad things going on doesn’t make them go away. PH has become normalized in our culture today — this book is eye opening in exploring the p industry and the dark forces that fuel it.

Notes:
- [ ] PH (and other sites) profit from sex trafficking: in many forms. Missing children being identified in rape videos on the website; rapists posting videos of these trafficked people to profit off the advertising…

- [ ] Users do not need to verify their identity to upload content, enabling abusers and traffickers to anonymously exploit victims. Users (uploaders) can become verified simply by holding a sign up w their username on it in a photo of them — does not require age or actual identity verification.

- [ ] Pornhub also has a Tor link where viewers can watch anonymously (dark web) - known fact that illegal and child porn is widespread on the dark web but this massive and culturally accepted site (Pornhub) enabling its users to do so is a surprise to many.

- [ ] 10th most visited website in THE WORLD

- [ ] Pornhub has largely evaded serious legal repercussions for these actions.

- [ ] The moderating process at Pornhub/MindGeek is robotic and profit oriented; pushing forth any video or photos that could pass as “ok” (not underage, illegal, rape, etc) — even if not verified. Moderators had to speed through videos viewing 1200+ per day (8hr shifts), making it impossible to actually filter appropriately through.

- [ ] It was later exposed that a video that was live on the website must be flagged 15 times before it joined the queue for moderators to review to take down and that the backlog of flagged videos was over 700,000

- [ ] Moreover, when they remove a video at the request of a user or advocacy org, they leave the URL, tags, and title up, but replace the video with an image “this video has been removed at the request of XYZ” — this is for SEO. The book details PH fight to appear at the top of the google search which means a lot of SEO and the widest possible variety of tags and titles to catch anyone with any preference…. no matter how sick….It’s quite alarming that this stuff is on the normal web, that users do not even have to venture to the dark web for it.

- [ ] US Law 18 USC 2257: federal law 1988 which requires those who produce, transfer, sell porn to get ID and age verification for every person in the video. PH and MG disregard this, saying they are not liable for this but rather the users who upload content.

- [ ] Moreover, leaders of PH and MG hide behind FAKE identities in press releases. Literally fake names and their leadership names are buried online nearly impossible to find.

- [ ] The online attacks, verbal threats, doxxing, blackmail that the author’s family endured during her fight to shut down and expose PH is just remarkable — PH and MG leadership is an organized crime ring and will seemingly do anything to keep their business running. Then the attacks escalate to physical attacks on victims who have spoken out.

- [ ] More interestingly, is how they (PH and MG) dug up past tweets from the anti-trafficking/anti-PH organization that the author goes to work with, called Exodus Cry — and use past tweets about being anti abortion and anti gay marriage to twist public opinion against Exodus Cry’s ultimate goal (to get rid of traffickers and help victims). It’s alarming that many people saw this, came to the conclusion that therefore Exodus Cry was a right wing organization, and their mission was therefore not supportable. This highlights the manipulativeness of these organizations, along with the malleability of the average person….. The lack of critical thinking and ability to hold in your mind at the same time that an org like Exodus Cry could hold opinions that you could be against (like preventing abortion and gay marriage), but simultaneously have a well intentioned mission (stopping traffickers). This black and white thinking is the exact issue that is contributing to the polarization of the American political landscape today.

- [ ] From a personal viewpoint, as someone who was previously not well read or educated on the PH ban debacle, I did mainly see left leaning news outlets framing this as anti-porn sentiment without further details (that I have now learned from this book).

- [ ] The incredible corruptness that isn’t visible to the average eye is absurd — the book details how the IWF (a child protection org, Internet Watch Foundation) publicly disparaged anti-PH sentiment. Upon further investigation, the author discovered that inHope (another internet watch org) accepts funding and partners with MindGeek, the parent company of PH. The book exposes the drive of these companies is purely profit (surprise…). Typical capitalistic fueled greed. The people who upload illegal and sick content obviously have different intentions, but PH and MG are driven purely by greed, power, and gluttony. Although it’s worth mentioning that many, if not all, of the leadership in PH and MG admitted to being porn aficionados themselves….

- [ ] The stories in this book outline the complexity of many trafficking cases and expand the reader’s idea of what “trafficking” can be - it’s not just girls getting grabbed off the streets and put into sex rings, many girls around the world are trafficked by their own families, as children. Others are with partners who they think love them and are then in turn exploited. The book details victims ages 3+ whose assaults have ended up videoed on PH, truly horrific. Expanding readers’ knowledge of how people end up in these situations is important.

- [ ] You really cannot ever be sure that the porn you view is “ethical.” The book details specific things like age play, popular on the site, which many trafficking videos of underage girls (and boys) fall under — people will argue that it’s consensual and is people’s preference, that there’s nothing wrong w that. It’s one thing to act this out in real life with a consenting adult party, but how can one consume this content and know that both parties were consenting and that it was ethically made?
- [ ] The book raises the question how one can ever actually know if porn is ethical (if on sites like this,
posted by anonymous people, strangers).

- [ ] Other questions: should porn be regulated by the government to prevent trafficking and exploitation of children and other vulnerable populations?

- [ ] I think that for many people who are not familiar with porn sites, or like things beyond vanilla sexual preferences, or even people who don’t spend a lot of time on the internet, things in this book are hard to imagine and are abstract concepts to grasp. People don’t want to believe what is out there and that awful things are made so easy to happen by our laws….. This is the problem with willful ignorance… Ignoring bad things does not make them go away. I applaud Laila Mickelwait for her dedication to the cause and not being afraid to wade through the depths of hell for the cause. Without a doubt, she has seen things that no one should ever see, far beyond the imagination of many people, for the noble purpose of helping past victims and preventing future ones.

[Christopher Sumpter · Rating 5 out of 5]

On one hand, a very easy read. On the other hand, one of the toughest things that you will ever read.

[London Baker · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was heart wrenching. A necessary read for anyone who think sex slavery and the sexual abuse of children needs to be stopped.

[Sarah Watanabe]

No rating

I am having a hard time rating this book so no rating for now... we'll see. This is a super important topic and social justice cause - understanding how the internet and websites like PornHub directly contribute and create a platform for child porn and sex trafficking to be circulated. The work that she does is really important and I am genuinely sorry for how much her personal life is impacted by the retaliation she is facing for speaking up. She focuses on how to take down these major companies and who helps her along the way.

However, what I'm still struggling with in terms of rating is that I'm not sure I liked how this book was structured and written. I think as an investigative journalism book, it was way too much about her personal life and her journey in it. I'm not saying she's not valid for writing it that way because her life was so impacted - but if she were to do that it would've been much better as a memoir. But the book is presented like an investigative journalism book and if she wanted people to be informed about the issue and join her on the fight, I think a more focused narrative specifically on the case and her role in it as a backdrop would have been much better.

So basically this was an informative and important book tackling an important issue but the way it was written just didn't work for me.

[Frank Parks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well done…well written

Perseverance…a wonderful trait, but in short supply these days. Laila Mickelwait shows astounding perseverance that effective results in moving mountains. I very much enjoyed reading about her effort…and enjoyed her entertaining writing style. Now my only question is…how is Pornhub still in business.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

I finished this book in less than a week. I mention this fact because it's rare for me to do such a thing. I don't think I can honestly say that I loved this book because it's filled with horrifying truth about unimaginable and disgusting sin. And to think that Pornhub saw such horrors and the children who lived them as a piggy bank is beyond comprehension. But there is much about this book that warrants five stars and a wide readership: Laila's writing is clear and compelling; the story, as horrifying as its contents can be, will pull you in even as its facts may repel you and be difficult to stomach; the hunger for justice is somewhat satiated even as you yearn and pray for more of it. I plan to pass this book on and recommend it to many more individuals. I see a somewhat unexpected yet entirely logical collateral power in this book: for those afflicted with an addiction to porn, this is a wake up call so visceral that it may serve as a catalyst to seek help. Thank you Laila for your work and for recording it and sharing it in this book.

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is inspiring, it's such a good example of never giving up even when it seems impossible. Should be read by all. Who knew anyone could be so greedy and care so little about children? Thank you Laila!

[Stan Campbell · Rating 5 out of 5]

A true story of one woman's bravery, passion and determination

Paula's story is infuriating and inspirational. It is unbelievable that she alone continued to find the strength and gut wrenching determination to take on giant. Indeed it was, at times, a moving Leila And Goliath battle. My admiration for Laila Mickelwait is boundless.

[Kat V · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is going to be horrible. Yep. Terrible. The real problem here is capitalism. What a wild and terrible ride. The author isn’t wrong but she comes across as very aggressive. 3.7 stars

[Kate Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Laila Michelwait’s true crime thriller, Takedown: Inside the Fight to Shut Down Pornhub for Child Abuse, Rape and Sex Trafficking is a MUST READ! Anyone who is interested in social justice, feminism and human rights will devour this book like I did, unable to look away from the car crash. Michelwait is right to be aggressive, frustrated and determined when fighting for these victims, she does not hide away from the ugly truths and lets the reader know how horrendous these videos were, it must have been traumatic to spend so long collecting evidence from this accessible website. She doesn’t shy away from the truth, and readers shouldn’t either. This book needs to be graphic, because the reality is.
Pornhub was previously one of the worlds most popular websites, I can’t stress how big this site was/is. A universally known name, marketed and advertised in places you won’t expect, it is almost a household name. A feminist activist, Michelwait discovered the well-known secret, that Pornhub is full of rape and child sexual abuse videos, which are able to be shared and downloaded at watchers pleasure. As she investigated, she unveiled paedophile’s accounts all over the website, with tagging and algorithms showing viewers more sickening content. She additionally found thousands of videos of women drunk and drugged, unresponsive being raped for sickos entertainment. As she started fighting against these videos, victims came forward informing her that their own child abuse videos were on the website, and that Pornhub would refuse to remove them despite the illegal material. Over ten years, with millions of videos been uploaded every year, the numbers are staggering. Michalwait made it clear from the beginning that she is not anti-porn, and has no issues with the adult entertainment industry, but she felt she could not walk away after seeing the exploitation and trafficking condoned on the major website. I was appalled at Visa and Mastercard’s contribution to this crime, and their determination to continue letting children and infants be exploited for their profits through advertisement and subscription. All these people allowing this to happen, and her reports about Pornhub’s spokespersons own paedophilic behaviours is horrifying to read, this culture of ‘lad’ behaviour both in and outside the company is sickening. There were so many instances in this novel which truly shocked me, I’m still reeling from the content.
Michelwait is so brave to fight for justice for these victims, demanding change and much stricter laws surrounding the adult entertainment industry. She put herself and her family at risk from hackers, death threats and personal attacks for simply trying to help people who have been trafficked – how crazy is that?

[Keelin Rita]

This was a tough read. Mickelwait does not shy away from the descriptions of the images and videos that she saw and I understand the need to include them. It is harrowing what these people, mostly young girls, went through. I appreciate that Mickelwait makes clear that she is not anti-porn or sex work. She is anti-exploitation and abuse. The work she did and the people who helped her along the way did amazing work taking on such a huge force in Pornhub. This was a difficult book to put down, the storytelling was precise and well structured, the pacing so well done. I listened to this on audiobook and the way I was so invested and dialed in just really speaks to how well this was written. If you think you can handle the subject matter, you've got to read this.

[Kenda Germain · Rating 5 out of 5]

I want to be Laila Mickelwait when I grow up! So inspiring how she took on the big bad guys, and didn’t back down even when it got unfathomably difficult.

[Carolee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This read like a suspenseful thriller. I'm shocked that it was such a fight to have abuse and child porn removed from the sites of big companies. I usually don't read true crime stories but this was one that I couldn't wait to get back to every chance I had, and finished it in a few days.

[Banana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to this book on audio. The author did incredible and important work to stop child abuse and rape amongst other horrible things in this industry that somehow the owners of the company got away with profiting off of for so many years, with no real rules or regulations to stop it. She was persistent and never gave up the fight. Well done!

[Scott McKellin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book expertly describes the crime scene that is P*rnHub and the fight and determination that it has taken to get this far, as well as giving action steps for readers to help further the fight.

[Mason · Rating 5 out of 5]

So gripping I read this in a day. Porn hub is evil and I wish more people were aware of and cared about this!!

[Teresa Seibert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Important read. Everyone should be aware of what is happening in the real world. It was a page turner.

[Victoria · Rating 4 out of 5]

A difficult read, but an incredibly important one.