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Adult Industry Urges Google to Help Fight Porn Piracy

The adult entertainment industry is taking Google to task over what it sees as a failure to acknowledge it as a legitimate business.
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The adult entertainment industry is taking Google to task over what it perceives as a deliberate oversight on Google's part: failing to provide legitimate purchase links when someone searches for porn, as the company does for music and movies. The BBC reports that several producers and stars feel Google is discriminating against the industry. They note many searches for TV shows, movies and music produce direct links to services like iTunes and Google's own Play Store, but the same isn't true for porn titles.

An example of Google providing legal options when searching for a show.
An example of Google providing legal options when searching for a show.Google

Similarly, sites that offer pirated copies of such media are demoted in Google's search rankings — yet video sites packed full of copyrighted porn are among the best ranked for related searches. "Google is perpetuating the misconception that the adult industry is not a legitimate industry," Australian actress Angela White was quoted by BBC as saying. The adult industry representatives explained that by working with them, Google could help protect minors, improve searches, and of course make money itself by selling ads and links. The search giant does not seem to be interested: it declined to comment "on any aspect of this issue," BBC reported.

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—Devin Coldewey