Rectangular glasses, a crazy tie on a dark, straight suit. Seemingly sure of himself, Solomon Friedman has the build of a businessman who does not flinch. So much the better, because the Canadian in his forties has just taken the helm of one of the largest pornographic sites in the world, PornHub, which in 2022 had more than 2.5 billion visitors. A site currently in difficulty in France facing the upcoming decision to block certain X sites if they do not comply with the legal obligations – decided by the law of 2020 – to prevent minors from accessing pornographic content. And while waiting for the ax to fall (even if it is permanently delayed), the boss sharpens his defense.
Above all, it would seem that the law in no way worries Solomon Friedman. And for good reason, the latter practiced for ten years as a criminal lawyer and partner with the firm Friedman Mansour LLP, in Ottawa. On his firm’s website, he is described as a man of “persuasive and innovative legal arguments”. The lawyer is also represented as a media animal who knows how to show himself on the sets, on the air or in the columns of the newspapers.
The many hats of Solomon Friedman
But in truth, Solomon Friedman’s career didn’t just begin in an Ottawa firm. Before passing the bar in 2010, the lawyer studied in Israel to become a rabbi and was even ordained in 2005. A detail that does not fail to make the Internet react, which remains skeptical about the sequence of these professions.
But the path was mapped out and back in his native Canada in 2006, Solomon Friedman joined the University of Ottowa, where he ended up teaching a few years later. From a position as clerk, he quickly established himself as an influential defense lawyer and was even regularly invited to testify before Parliament, especially in the context of bills concerning firearms. He is in favor of it. “As a sportsman, target shooter and gun advocate, Solomon is uniquely positioned to understand the issues facing gun owners,” recalls the site of his former practice.
MindGeek helps, then buys
It must be believed that all these adventures were not enough for the lawyer. Five months ago, Solomon Friedman became a partner of the Ethical Capital Partners fund. If this name means nothing to you, last March they bought the Canadian company MindGeek which owns – among others – PornHub, RedTube or Youporn. Initially just on a consulting mission to analyze the legislation, Solomon Friedman finally joined the investors ready to buy the company.
Here, the private equity firm is banking on their “multidisciplinary team” to “de-stigmatize the legal choices of adult and consumer performers.” Lots of consultant-grade chatter, but Solomon Friedman’s use of those words is not trivial. In France, and mainly in Europe, the question of the accessibility of porn sites to the youngest will perhaps one day condemn these platforms from the territory.
The lawyer defends himself
More broadly, it is interesting to understand why a criminal lawyer is interested in a pornographic site in full disavowal by justice. Fortunately, three months ago, the local media ottawa citizen asked him the question. Describing the news as “opportunity”, Solomon Friedman continues his speech by mentioning his interest in the “advanced technologies” now needed to secure the platforms, in particular the fingerprint or the age estimate. “And what will you do if you fail? “, continues the journalist, thinking to disturb his interlocutor. But Solomon Friedman does not balk and returns to his key concept: transparency. Above all, the lawyer-rabbi-businessman has one objective: to make his new site a better, more responsible platform. “We need an Internet for adults and not just for porn. The problem also arises for video games reserved for adults, explicit videos, online bets, ”he confided in the columns of the Parisian.
So how does the new boss envisage the future? During the interview with our colleagues, he listed a number of possible technologies in the future, including age detection via smartphone. If Apple and its competitors will appreciate the hot potato, Solomon Friedman responds here to the permanent accusations of the non-protection of minors on porn platforms. “I’m going to say it loud and clear: we don’t want minors on our platforms,” he assured Le Parisien. But faced with the future blockage decided by the courts in France, Solomon Friedman persists: it is an “absurd” decision, revealing a law “not properly put together”, he will add to the World. From there to turn your back on the French market, it’s not for now.