BRUSSELS—The European Commission is preparing to accept tenders and applications for researchers to be funded to study how major adult tube sites deal with illegal or harmful content. The announcement was published on the European Commission’s website. The tube sites being investigated are Pornhub, XVideos and XNXX.
The announcement states, “This call for tenders concentrates on Pornhub, XVideos, and XNXX, which will collectively be referred to as the ‘Three Designated Entities.’
“The objective of the project is to generate evidence-based insights grounded in the lived experiences of performers, content creators, and victims who have been harmed by illegal content distributed through these services,” the announcement adds. “The study will assess compliance with two major areas of the [Digital Safety Act].”
Pornhub, XVideos, and XNXX are all considered very-large online platforms, or VLOPs, under the definitions promulgated by the European Union’s digital regime.
It is the purpose of this project to conduct its own “comprehensive, methodologically sound” study that goes beyond “anecdotal evidence by collecting data through interviews and surveys” across all member states in the European Union bloc, the announcement for tenders explains. This contract for the study is likely to be awarded to universities and research institutions.
The announcement goes on to say the study “will specifically incorporate the perspectives of marginalized and vulnerable groups, including members of the LGBTQ+ community, migrants, racialized individuals, and persons from the Global South or conflict regions.”
The contract is expected to be at least 12 months long, with a fund of no more than €142,000, or $164,628.
