33 votes

PornHub extorted after hackers steal Premium member activity data

34 comments

  1. [33]
    Promonk
    Link
    By all means, let's force websites to collect personally identifying info to "protect children." I'm sure nothing like this will ever happen again. There's a man made of straw in my head who keeps...

    By all means, let's force websites to collect personally identifying info to "protect children." I'm sure nothing like this will ever happen again.

    There's a man made of straw in my head who keeps saying, "so what if some porn addicts have their viewing habits leaked? You have nothing to worry about if you aren't a degenerate." He's really good at finding the exact right arguments to piss me off in any given situation. What really gets my goat about him is that he never seems to suffer consequences for his shitty takes, probably because he doesn't give a shit about edge-cases as long as they don't apply to him. It's infuriating.

    33 votes
    1. [5]
      papasquat
      Link Parent
      Something like 70% of Americans view porn. It's almost everyone you meet on a day to day basis. The issue is that almost everyone is ashamed of it to some degree, so we have these weird Mexican...

      Something like 70% of Americans view porn. It's almost everyone you meet on a day to day basis. The issue is that almost everyone is ashamed of it to some degree, so we have these weird Mexican standoffs regarding it, where everyone pretends they don't watch it, and thus are ok with legislation that puts porn users at risk.

      It's a really weird situation where everyone votes to do things that hurt themselves, but they pretend they won't actually be effected by it.

      18 votes
      1. [4]
        Promonk
        Link Parent
        None of this shit is put to a secret vote by citizens' initiative, it's all done legislatively, where moral posturing is most effective. I doubt very much that initiative would lead to more...

        None of this shit is put to a secret vote by citizens' initiative, it's all done legislatively, where moral posturing is most effective. I doubt very much that initiative would lead to more realistic and effective regulation, but I bet you this kind of thing would go down in flames if virtue signaling were taken out of the mix.

        14 votes
        1. kingofsnake
          Link Parent
          Absolutely. A bunch of our of touch legislators invite a token representative of the industry to receive their public lashing, then it's on to the next moral panic. I'm no legal expert, but I do...

          Absolutely. A bunch of our of touch legislators invite a token representative of the industry to receive their public lashing, then it's on to the next moral panic.

          I'm no legal expert, but I do wonder whether there's a connection between poor, ad hoc verification practices, the lack of a proper legal privacy framework and a societal unwillingness to admit that "vice" is just part of life.

          I wonder what societies who aren't so prudish about sex are doing.

          7 votes
        2. 0x29A
          Link Parent
          And it is fair to mention, I think, that legislation like this unfortunately has far less public pressure against it because of the stigma and shame around porn. And that's by design, it's why so...

          And it is fair to mention, I think, that legislation like this unfortunately has far less public pressure against it because of the stigma and shame around porn.

          And that's by design, it's why so much invasive legislation hides behind things like "protection"- if you make opponents of a legislation out to be "people arguing against the protection of children", you've bent the moral narrative in the law's favor, no matter its overreach or side effects

          5 votes
        3. papasquat
          Link Parent
          Yeah true. But lets be real. The VAST majority of congress watches porn too.

          Yeah true. But lets be real. The VAST majority of congress watches porn too.

          1 vote
    2. [27]
      cloud_loud
      Link Parent
      I don’t think there’s much on pornhub that you could watch that labels you a “degenerate.” It’s the most mainstream porn website out there

      I don’t think there’s much on pornhub that you could watch that labels you a “degenerate.” It’s the most mainstream porn website out there

      7 votes
      1. Promonk
        Link Parent
        I never said the straw man had sensible opinions.

        I never said the straw man had sensible opinions.

        8 votes
      2. [25]
        ZeroGee
        Link Parent
        Oh my sweet summer child...

        Oh my sweet summer child...

        5 votes
        1. [24]
          cloud_loud
          Link Parent
          I don’t know what that means. Pornhub has gone through some high profile legal issues in the past, it’s probably the most regulated porn site around.

          I don’t know what that means. Pornhub has gone through some high profile legal issues in the past, it’s probably the most regulated porn site around.

          7 votes
          1. [6]
            ZeroGee
            Link Parent
            Lots of kinky and edge material on Pornhub that could get people labeled as a degenerate. Lots. Feel free to expand your horizons.

            Lots of kinky and edge material on Pornhub that could get people labeled as a degenerate. Lots. Feel free to expand your horizons.

            4 votes
            1. [5]
              aphoenix
              Link Parent
              I'm not a subject matter expert, but I think the implication is that PornHub is the milquetoast regulated porn site, and the degenerate stuff is on other sites. If that's the case, then wouldn't...

              I'm not a subject matter expert, but I think the implication is that PornHub is the milquetoast regulated porn site, and the degenerate stuff is on other sites. If that's the case, then wouldn't the person who thinks that PornHub is "out there" be the sweet summer child that needs to expand their horizons?

              7 votes
              1. [4]
                ZeroGee
                Link Parent
                Be the change you want to see in the world. Let me know what the edgiest thing you can find on Pornhub is, and I'll let you know if that qualifies me as a sweet summer child. I'd recommend you...

                I don’t think there’s much on pornhub that you could watch that labels you a “degenerate.”

                Be the change you want to see in the world. Let me know what the edgiest thing you can find on Pornhub is, and I'll let you know if that qualifies me as a sweet summer child. I'd recommend you start by searching "Breath play"

                1 vote
                1. [3]
                  slade
                  Link Parent
                  This is such a strange thing to be competitive about.

                  This is such a strange thing to be competitive about.

                  7 votes
                  1. [2]
                    ZeroGee
                    Link Parent
                    Are we being competitive? I was pointing out that Pornhub is filled with violent and extreme pornography, and getting told that "oh, it's not that bad". Cool. Cool cool cool cool.

                    Are we being competitive? I was pointing out that Pornhub is filled with violent and extreme pornography, and getting told that "oh, it's not that bad".

                    Cool. Cool cool cool cool.

                    1. slade
                      Link Parent
                      I don't know, but this seems to me like you're issuing a challenge over who will be more scandalized by pornography, but I don't think anyone chiming in here is unaware or would disagree that I...

                      Let me know what the edgiest thing you can find on Pornhub is, and I'll let you know if that qualifies me as a sweet summer child.

                      I don't know, but this seems to me like you're issuing a challenge over who will be more scandalized by pornography, but I don't think anyone chiming in here is unaware or would disagree that

                      Pornhub is filled with violent and extreme pornography

                      I just didn't understand phrasing it in a way that implies others are ignorant/naive.

                      5 votes
          2. [17]
            Minori
            Link Parent
            If someone's watch history was exclusively incest content, that would definitely earn them a degenerate label.

            If someone's watch history was exclusively incest content, that would definitely earn them a degenerate label.

            3 votes
            1. [16]
              Promonk
              Link Parent
              I'm not so sure about that. That weird incestuous narrative framing is all over the damn site, even if you aren't seeking it out. I'm not sure why, though I suspect it's some sort of kink of the...

              I'm not so sure about that. That weird incestuous narrative framing is all over the damn site, even if you aren't seeking it out. I'm not sure why, though I suspect it's some sort of kink of the recommendation algo at this point.

              My point is: if a user's search history shows exclusively incest-related queries, that might just mean they're familiar with the meta.

              1 vote
              1. [9]
                kingofsnake
                Link Parent
                I read Playboy for the articles, too!

                I read Playboy for the articles, too!

                2 votes
                1. [8]
                  Promonk
                  Link Parent
                  I actually did read Playboy for the articles back when I had a subscription as a teenager. Airbrushed paintings of surgically "enhanced" bottle blondes never did it for me.

                  I actually did read Playboy for the articles back when I had a subscription as a teenager. Airbrushed paintings of surgically "enhanced" bottle blondes never did it for me.

                  5 votes
                  1. [7]
                    kingofsnake
                    Link Parent
                    I always loved that saying, though I never did read Playboy when it was out. As a teenager I read Maxim, though. Does that count?

                    I always loved that saying, though I never did read Playboy when it was out. As a teenager I read Maxim, though. Does that count?

                    1 vote
                    1. [6]
                      Promonk
                      Link Parent
                      Playboy actually had good writing, though. They published stuff by people who won awards like Hugos and Pulitzers, even in its waning days when I had my subscription. I only read a couple US...

                      Playboy actually had good writing, though. They published stuff by people who won awards like Hugos and Pulitzers, even in its waning days when I had my subscription. I only read a couple US Maxims, and I can't recall anything about the writing aside from that I wasn't really interested in it.

                      It's actually kind of sad that we're talking about Playboy in the context of Pornhub, because while Pornhub is a sort of successor to Playboy in a way, it utterly lacks that element of high culture that marked the bunny mag, and I don't really see anyone even attempting to pick up that torch.

                      1 vote
                      1. [5]
                        kingofsnake
                        Link Parent
                        Yeah, that is pretty sad. What would you liken Playboy's articles to? A New Yorker style magazine If I remember correctly, Maxim articles were basically "how to sneak behind the drink cart just in...

                        Yeah, that is pretty sad. What would you liken Playboy's articles to? A New Yorker style magazine

                        If I remember correctly, Maxim articles were basically "how to sneak behind the drink cart just in time to have a quickie with a hot babe in the airplane bathroom" or "This rich guy in Arkansas has a bunker full of weapons -- look!". Nothing to remember.

                        1 vote
                        1. [4]
                          Promonk
                          Link Parent
                          Yeah, New Yorker is kind of similar, but there was an edge to publishing in Playboy that made it more attractive to iconoclasts and counter-culture types. I don't think Hunter Thompson would've...

                          Yeah, New Yorker is kind of similar, but there was an edge to publishing in Playboy that made it more attractive to iconoclasts and counter-culture types. I don't think Hunter Thompson would've been caught dead conducting an interview for the New Yorker, for instance.

                          4 votes
                          1. [3]
                            kingofsnake
                            Link Parent
                            Wow, that's so cool and just another example of what happens when the internet democratized a funding model relied upon by writers. No personals section? Goodbye local news. No porno mags? Goodbye...

                            Wow, that's so cool and just another example of what happens when the internet democratized a funding model relied upon by writers.

                            No personals section? Goodbye local news. No porno mags? Goodbye Hunter S. No ad revenue? Goodbye everything.

                            2 votes
                            1. [2]
                              Promonk
                              Link Parent
                              I've thought about that a fair bit over the years. I have to think there's a better way to fund content creation than advertising, particularly because I don't think there's actually much value to...

                              I've thought about that a fair bit over the years. I have to think there's a better way to fund content creation than advertising, particularly because I don't think there's actually much value to advertising. Like, firms pay for ad impressions, but are they actually getting their money's worth? Is the sheer number of eyeballs on your ad actually a valuable metric for anyone but Google? My hunch is that advertising is just what we've landed on because that was kind of how Old Media worked, and because it's the simplest way for big companies to control and exploit funding channels, so that's what they prefer.

                              I've considered the possibility of something like a subscription index, where a consumer pays for a suite of subs sort of like the old cable packages, but without the monopolistic skullduggery of the cable conglomerates. The trouble is in first establishing a sufficient library of content options that network effects kick in, and secondly, protecting against the index middlemen exploiting their positions to the detriment of creators and consumers. I like the concept of Nebula because that's more or less how they operate, but I don't know enough about it to judge whether it's been designed with sufficient safeguards.

                              I do know that Internet advertising is reaching the point where something's gotta give, though. I just started a new job that's led me to viewing YouTube videos without adblock, and it's pretty effing dire, man.

                              2 votes
                              1. kingofsnake
                                Link Parent
                                Yeah, I've noticed how unusable YouTube and Google are without it. I like your idea. Frankly, I think that there's an argument for social enterprises to be part of the solution as well. There may...

                                Yeah, I've noticed how unusable YouTube and Google are without it.

                                I like your idea. Frankly, I think that there's an argument for social enterprises to be part of the solution as well. There may be better suggestions out there, but I think that social networks somehow connected to public libraries is a place to start.

                                If municipalities put a small amount of money behind a project focused on the greater good (of I'd anything, just privacy?, I'd be all for it.

                                2 votes
              2. [6]
                Minori
                Link Parent
                As far as I know, it's a common fetish. People explicitly look for it per multiple sites' search statistics. It doesn't appeal to me, so I can only guess why it's popular.

                I'm not sure why, though I suspect it's some sort of kink of the recommendation algo at this point.

                As far as I know, it's a common fetish. People explicitly look for it per multiple sites' search statistics.

                It doesn't appeal to me, so I can only guess why it's popular.

                2 votes
                1. [4]
                  whbboyd
                  Link Parent
                  The… explanation?… I've heard for this is that it's a pre-packaged relationship between the characters that doesn't require any non-porn lead-in to set up. Boom, they're step-siblings and they're...

                  The… explanation?… I've heard for this is that it's a pre-packaged relationship between the characters that doesn't require any non-porn lead-in to set up. Boom, they're step-siblings and they're fucking, and the total amount of time you had to take in lieu of jacking it to consume the plot was the two seconds it took to read the video title.

                  I have no idea if this argument actually holds any water—maybe people really are thirsting after their siblings at a concerningly high frequency? Maybe it all stems from this particularly infamous commercial (technically SFW)?—but it's what I've heard.

                  3 votes
                  1. Minori
                    Link Parent
                    Step-siblings I better understand for the pseudo-forbidden relationship. It's common in dramas for a reason. Definitely not everywhere. The popularity of the trope in Japan predates that commercial.

                    Step-siblings I better understand for the pseudo-forbidden relationship. It's common in dramas for a reason.

                    Maybe it all stems from this particularly infamous commercial (technically SFW)?—but it's what I've heard.

                    Definitely not everywhere. The popularity of the trope in Japan predates that commercial.

                    1 vote
                  2. [2]
                    elcuello
                    Link Parent
                    It's really kinda sad reading all the comments on that video. Yeah sure if you really wanted to you could interpret it that way but it says a lot about how people sexualize everything today - to...

                    It's really kinda sad reading all the comments on that video. Yeah sure if you really wanted to you could interpret it that way but it says a lot about how people sexualize everything today - to me it was just akward and bad acting like any other commercial.

                    1. Promonk
                      Link Parent
                      I remember thinking those two had a disconcerting chemistry at the time though, so I don't know that it speaks to our current milieu necessarily.

                      I remember thinking those two had a disconcerting chemistry at the time though, so I don't know that it speaks to our current milieu necessarily.

                      1 vote
                2. Promonk
                  Link Parent
                  I always figured it was just a low-effort way to add narrative tension without having to actually write a scenario.

                  I always figured it was just a low-effort way to add narrative tension without having to actually write a scenario.

                  2 votes
  2. comma
    Link
    Nothing nefarious could happen with a load of government ID's, payment information, and porn viewing history anyway. I wouldn't worry about it.

    Nothing nefarious could happen with a load of government ID's, payment information, and porn viewing history anyway. I wouldn't worry about it.

    8 votes