Ethical Capital Partners undertaking stakeholder consultations

Ottawa (April 28, 2023) – Ethical Capital Partners (ECP), a private equity firm managed by a multidisciplinary team with regulatory, law enforcement, public engagement and finance experience, is undertaking consultations with stakeholders regarding the recent acquisition of MindGeek, a technology and media company, owner of a large portfolio of adult entertainment properties. 

These ECP-led stakeholder consultations will be conducted in partnership with the ECP Advisory Board and the MindGeek team. In the first stage, ECP will engage with content creators, victim advocacy groups, law enforcement, civil society partners, regulators, banking institutions and payment processors to inform its efforts and strengthen MindGeek's secure platforms, going beyond legal and regulatory obligations. 

ECP is particularly interested in learning more about the challenges faced by our community of content creators, including stigma, social media censorship and financial discrimination. ECP is also committed to further understanding the technical, legal and logistical obstacles encountered by law enforcement and prosecutors. Partnering with law enforcement in investigating and prosecuting online offenders is at the core of ECP’s fundamental commitment to child protection and intimate image security. 

Recognizing the ever-evolving nature of online threats, ECP is also initiating meaningful consultations with those in academia, industry and civil society who are at the forefront of combating online bad actors. 

The committed Trust and Safety team at MindGeek are industry leaders in the fight against internet exploitation and regularly work closely with diverse partners in developing tools and techniques for protecting users both on MindGeek’s platforms and beyond. ECP’s consultations and further stakeholder  engagement efforts will support this ongoing work.

Upon completion of these efforts, ECP will share a summary of findings with those involved in the consultations, as well as make efforts to engage with the media to inform the larger public and post updates to their website.

Quotes:

“Our view is that good corporate citizens do not operate in a vacuum. The cornerstone of our engagement strategy is to actively engage with diverse interests to hear what they have to say about how our business operates. Engaging with stakeholders is not a one-time thing. We believe that on-going conversations are an important part of any decision-making process. Before proposing a plan, it is essential to consult with those who may be impacted.” 

- Sarah Bain, founding partner, ECP

“MindGeek has built a sophisticated, multi-layered Trust and Safety program combining leading-edge technology solutions with a team of moderators. Day in and day out, MindGeek’s Trust and Safety, and engineering teams work collaboratively with law enforcement, advocacy groups and other stakeholders to prevent online abuse and to hold abusers to account. MindGeek also shares its technological expertise with government regulators, law enforcement and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to explore innovative responses to the ever-changing threats faced by media platforms. From our law enforcement partners, we will learn more about their particular technical challenges, and the unique investigative and prosecutorial hurdles they presently face as they work to keep the internet safe for all. I am particularly impressed with the Trusted Flagger Program which allows NGOs and statutory offices to automatically disable any content on MindGeek’s video sharing platforms. This culture of partnership and mutual trust is representative of MindGeek’s ongoing commitment to personal privacy and public safety. I look forward to supporting the MindGeek team in this essential work and to expanding the list of agencies that we partner with.”

- Derek Ogden, founding partner, ECP

“We are responsible to an interconnected network of stakeholders, each of whom brings an invaluable perspective to the table. We know that each of our stakeholders face unique challenges. We are particularly interested in hearing from them as we shape the path forward for MindGeek and its platforms. Moreover, we look forward to meaningful consultations on a wide range of issues, including legal and regulatory challenges, social media censorship and financial discrimination faced by many content creators.”  

- Solomon Friedman, founding partner, ECP

“The first step required on the path to change is our sincere effort to embrace that the public, institutions and partners want things to change. To get this right we need to listen. We hope that an open consultation process, whereby we report back to those we engaged, will serve to educate the public about MindGeek’s absolute commitment to safe, responsible sex-positive free expression. Over the next few months, this will be ECP’s focus. We have said from the start that we are confident that MindGeek operates legally and responsibly, and the leadership team at MindGeek has our support.”

- Fady Mansour, founding partner, ECP

“The leadership team at MindGeek is reassured by ECP’s support for our team to continue to build on our industry-leading commitment to quality adult entertainment made by and for consenting adults on platforms that set the standard for Trust and Safety. As we join ECP in their engagement efforts with stakeholders, we are interested in further addressing the ever-evolving Trust and Safety challenges, as we ensure that MindGeek’s platforms are global leaders in compliance.”  

- MindGeek Management

Associated Links

ECP Advisory Board

About Ethical Capital Partners (ECP)

Unlocking value through ethics-first investing.

Ethical Capital Partners (ECP) is a private equity firm seeking out investment opportunities in industries that require principled ethical leadership. ECP concentrates on projects which focus on technologies, and have legal and regulatory complexity. ECP was created in 2022 by a multi-disciplinary team with legal, regulatory, law enforcement, public engagement and finance experience. ECP's philosophy is rooted in identifying companies amenable to our responsible investment approach, and working collaboratively with management teams in order to develop strategies to create value and attractive returns. For more information visit EthicalCapitalPartners.com.

Contact

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