Poll: Will Google Make Porn Harder to Find?

LOS ANGELES — Google won't uphold its commitment to "freedom of expression" when it comes to porn related organic search results, according to a new poll conducted by adult industry news media organization XBIZ.

By a wide margin, 67 percent to 33 percent, members of adult industry social network XBIZ.net believe Google will further filter its search results following a recent policy change by the search giant to ban advertising of adult-oriented websites through its AdWords platform.

XBIZ asked: "Will Google uphold its commitment to 'freedom of expression' when it comes to organic adult search results?"

In June, Google said it would no longer accept ads for its AdWords unit "that promote graphic depictions of sexual acts including, but not limited to, hardcore pornography; graphic sexual acts including sex acts such as masturbation; genital, anal and oral sexual activity."

The decision to ban "adult" advertising sparked ire with stakeholders in the adult entertainment industry, including some of the businesses' top figureheads condemning the move.

Alec Helmy, president and publisher of XBIZ, wrote an open letter to Google urging the search giant to reconsider its position. So did online men’s magazine BaDoink.com's CEO, Todd Glider.

But, so far, the Google AdWords policy has been put in place and anti-porn crusader coalition Morality In Media has taken credit for the search giant’s decision.

For Google, the elimination of adult entertainment advertising on its AdWords platform means a shrinkage of at least $350 million a year, one industry expert said.

Scott Rabinowitz of SEO consulting company CyberStampede.com notes that the adult entertainment industry has provided at least one percent of AdWords revenue annually. Google makes an estimated $100 million a day in search advertising, he said.

"One of the accounts I work with has literally spent over $1 million in the last 10 years," Rabinowitz recently told TheDailyBeast.com. "They've had their account since the day AdWords opened before Google was a publicly traded company and literally were shut down abruptly without the ability to respond.”

As for organic searches, Google has never censored them; however the latest policymaking decision by Google's AdWords unit has many concerned in the adult entertainment industry about even further detrimental restrictions.

Q Boyer, a regular contributor to XBIZ magazine, said in a recent column, that Google could already be filtering organic searches for sexually explicit terms.

"While there’s no shortage of adult sites indexed by Google, one can’t help but notice that certain stand-alone search terms that once yielded a massive number of adult site links in their SERPs now only return links to adult content if the user appends a modifier like 'porn' or 'sex' to the search," he wrote. "A perfect example is 'BDSM'; in the old days, that search term would return a flood of sites that featured BDSM-related pictures and videos, but now the top responses are the Wikipedia page devoted to BDSM, an entry from the Urban Dictionary, and a host of other non-pornographic options."

The XBIZ survey involved votes casted from 203 unique industry members.

Copyright © 2025 Adnet Media. All Rights Reserved. XBIZ is a trademark of Adnet Media.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited.

More News

European Commission to Assess Pornhub, XVideos, XNXX Compliance With Digital Services Act

The European Commission plans to conduct a study to determine how well adult sites Pornhub, XVideos and XNXX are addressing illegal content and other potential harms under the EU’s Digital Services Act.

German Higher Court Upholds Ban on PornHub, YouPorn

The Higher Administrative Court of Rhineland-Palatinate on Thursday upheld a “network ban” on Aylo-owned adult sites Pornhub and YouPorn for failing to comply with German age verification regulations.

Alabama Notifying Adult Sites of New Tax Set to Take Effect Sept. 1

The Alabama Department of Revenue has begun sending notices to adult site operators about a new 10% tax on their revenues, set to be enforced starting Sept. 1.

Ondato, CCBill Announce Strategic Partnership for Global High-Risk Market

Age and identity verification firm Ondato and payment processor CCBill have formed a strategic partnership to serve the global high-risk market.

Ofcom Investigates 4 More Adult Companies for OSA Compliance

U.K. media regulator Ofcom has launched investigations into whether four companies operating adult websites have implemented requisite age assurance measures under the Online Safety Act, the agency announced Thursday.

Taylor Nicole Launches New Site Through YourPaysitePartner

Creator Taylor Nicole has launched her new official website through YourPaysitePartner (YPP).

Adult Networking Platform SpicyGigs.com Launches

SpicyGigs, a new adult industry networking platform, has officially launched.

Pineapple Support to Host 'Cream Pie Challenge' Fundraiser

Pineapple Support is hosting its Cream Pie Challenge through August to raise funds for mental health services for industry performers.

Kyrgyzstan President Signs Measure Outlawing Internet Porn

President Sadyr Japarov of Kyrgyzstan on Tuesday signed into law legislation outlawing online adult content in the country.

NC Legislature Overrides Veto of Extreme Anti-Adult Industry Bill

The North Carolina state legislature on Tuesday voted to override Gov. Josh Stein’s veto of a bill imposing regulations that industry observers have warned could push adult websites and platforms to ban most creators and content.

Show More