All the video distribution sites, BDSM sites and forums, Hollywood itself and the porn industry at large are reflections of our society and culture. Sex and violence are powerful motivators, they are at the center of Hollywood's success, one of the last successful American industries. This creates a strange eco system, where you can be a small fish in a big pond or a big fish in a small pond, but you do better if you find a niche.

The nature of the problem is that there are very low barriers for entry in the field, which means opportunity. The same lack of regulation means no protection from predatory behavior.

Years back, to enter the fetish video industry, good credit and a good bit of a money was needed. Recent technology has made it so that, as you put it, the barriers for entering the field are, indeed low. Remember the MMA guy was recruiting homeless men for brutal beat downs in exchange for a warm meal and a few bucks? Before people could shoot in their cousins garage with a $200. camera and, now on their iphone, it wasn't like that. But, it is a new day and age.

I think that given the nature of the industry, of the internet, of the global access having somebody like PornHub is unavoidable. If it were to shut down I have no doubt that five smaller, hungrier companies with even fewer scruples would be ready to take its place.

Yes, there was so much combined wealth from savvy porn folks who saw this coming. They had no problem stepping on people in becoming even wealthier by stealing from others. They've won.

I am impressed with how nimble they were in answering NY Times' attack. Can you imagine a politician like Trump or Biden, a company like Amazon or Google or a forum like MF or this one responding that fast and decisively to an unexpected attack?

They must have great attorneys who know how to walk that line. Currently, they have so much content on their site that would be low hanging fruit in being considered obscene if it went to court. They allow that while not allowing simple whipping clips that are not shot in a way to make the models look underage. There must be a reason for that. When there is a shift on who to go after at the whim of a politician or credit card merchant, they'll probably have no problem axing the age play and vile abuse on young women. They are allowing content that video producers like Max Hardcore went to prison for in the 2257/Ashcroft days.

So chances are they stay in business, which might be a good thing for the rest of us, because as long as they exist they are a target and a shield for the rest of the participants.

I agree the chances are they stay in business and free of prosecution. But, who knows...in the day of MeToo and the focus on real human trafficking, that often involves minors, all it takes a politician looking to make a name for themselves to go after them. They are really walking a thin line but, they've got the money and attorneys to do it, I guess. If they do fall, it will be hard, like Epstein. I'm not suggesting that they have actual minors on their site. But, they have a plethora of content that most any court would find obscene, including 21 year old women who are dressed to look like they are 12. Talk about publicly frying a big fish, they've made themselves one.