NoFap sues Pornhub under RICO Act, alleges global disinformation campaign
2 months ago
- #Pornhub RICO Act
- #disinformation campaign
- #NoFap lawsuit
- NoFap files a lawsuit against Pornhub and its parent company Aylo under the RICO Act, alleging a global disinformation campaign.
- The 208-page complaint accuses Pornhub, Aylo, the Free Speech Coalition, academics, and others of colluding to discredit addiction recovery resources, scientists, survivors, whistleblowers, journalists, and critics.
- Allegations include filing false reports, posting defamatory statements, conducting opposition research, relaying disinformation to journalists, staging hoaxes, and astroturfing Wikipedia pages, with at least 70 identified victims.
- The lawsuit claims the pornography industry suppresses scientific research, influences academics, publishes industry-aligned papers to create controversy, pressures professional organizations, and obstructs age verification regulations.
- Defendants include Aylo entities, two academics, Taylor & Francis, and UCLA, with 17 causes of action such as racketeering, civil conspiracy, unfair competition, trademark dilution, defamation, and breach of contract.
- NoFap's founder, Alexander Rhodes, states the lawsuit aims to protect scientists and others from retaliation and ensure support for individuals reducing pornography use without interference.
- Lead counsel David Kobylinski compares the industry's tactics to the 1950s tobacco industry and hopes the case triggers governmental oversight and criminal investigations.
- The case is titled Rhodes et al. v. Aylo Holdings, S.A.R.L., No. 2:25-cv-01956, filed in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania.