Pornhub ‘will not speculate’ on alleged Montreal shooter targeting it offices

The age-restriction warning screen from the Pornhub website displayed on a digital screen. Photo by Leon Neal /Getty Images

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Aylo, the company that owns pornography company Pornhub, does not want to offer any comment on a possible connection with the alleged Montreal shooter.

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In the aftermath of the shooting, reported by the Montreal Gazette, the windows of the building that houses Aylo’s headquarters were visibly broken. The man allegedly responsible for the fatal shootout on Monday wrote a manifesto aiming, among other things, to create a “new order” that would curtail the sexual freedoms of women.

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The alleged shooter’s manifesto specifically mentioned targeting “the headquarters of international pornography companies,” reported The Guardian.

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In an email to National Post on Tuesday, Aylo acknowledged media reports “discussing a possible connection to Aylo and Pornhub.” However, the company said since the investigation “remains ongoing … we will not speculate on motive or share unconfirmed information.”

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Instead, the company wrote that it wants “to express our deepest condolences to the families and loved ones of Const. Mohamed Lamine Benredouane and Michael Moshe Mizrahi, as well as to the Montreal Police Service (SPVM) and everyone affected by this horrific tragedy.

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“The safety of our community is our highest priority, whether that be our dedicated employees, our online community, or the city of Montreal, which a large part of our team proudly calls home. Though our city was struck by tragedy, we want to express gratitude to the first responders who bravely protected us and ensured that none of our employees were physically harmed by yesterday’s events.”

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The alleged shooter pointed to pornography companies as part of the modern capitalistic state responsible for creating a “hypergamy state” in which women are enabled to favour “a plethora of attractive males” rather than being bound “legalistically and culturally” to just one.

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However, XBiz reported in 2024 that Aylo (formerly MindGeek) has courted controversy for its lack of protections for women, and was the subject of a 2015 complaint filed by an unidentified woman whose boyfriend uploaded intimate content to Pornhub without her consent.

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The complaint was investigated by Canada’s privacy commissioner, and Aylo was found to have failed in its legal obligation to obtain the complainant’s consent, as well as failing more broadly in ensuring meaningful consent was obtained from the individuals appearing in its content.

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The commissioner’s report also stated that “changes to MindGeek’s practices in 2020, and since, have not remedied this contravention.”

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