The War on Porn Regular Updates about the Assault on The Adult Industry
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A lawsuit filed in Pennsylvania alleges that NoFap founder Alexander Rhodes was targeted in a years-long civil conspiracy involving Aylo (Pornhub’s parent company), UCLA, scientists Nicole Prause and David Ley, and academic publisher Taylor & Francis. Rhodes claims the defendants coordinated to silence and discredit him and NoFap by portraying the group and some of its members as aligned with extremist or pseudoscientific beliefs, and by promoting research asserting that pornography is not addictive and that NoFap is not an effective treatment. The suit casts Aylo as the central player in this alleged scheme, pointing to its legal efforts against state laws regulating porn and its ties to Ley as an expert witness, although the filing acknowledges no evidence that Aylo paid Prause or otherwise directly funded the researchers’ work.
The complaint seeks apologies, retractions, and gag orders and names dozens of journalists and other commentators whose largely factual reporting about NoFap is labeled defamatory. It frames the case not as a cultural debate but as a sweeping claim of disinformation, exploitation, and racketeering aimed at critics of the porn industry, while also accusing Taylor & Francis of trademark dilution and UCLA of aiding the alleged plot through employment of Prause. Observers note the contradiction between these claims and established academic and professional positions—such as the APA’s stance that pornography addiction is not a recognized diagnosis—raising questions about the lawsuit’s breadth and its implications for journalism and scientific inquiry.
