Porn Could Help Digital Archivists Preserve Art, Experts Say

BERKELEY, Calif. — Online adult entertainment may provide society with an unintended dose of artistic value, according to a recent CNET News story, which said that archivists looking for ways to preserve digital art would do well to follow the lead of the porn industry.

Speaking at the New Media and Social Memory symposium at the University of California at the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, researcher Kurt Bollacker said the porn industry drives the technology behind preservation of digital media.

“I guarantee that a wealth of pornography from the late 20th century will survive in digital distributed form because it's a social model that's working extremely well,” he said. “Anyone interested in preserving digital art should evaluate ongoing distributed data efforts.”

Bollacker cited the value of adult entertainment in the quest to archive digital art because, as he put it, the porn industry is an example of a community that swaps out picture and video content regularly, creating a real-time archive.

The symposium, which featured Bollacker along with several other academics and technology experts, sought to address the problems faced by archivists in the digital age. With the proliferation of digital works, many archivists have said the role of preservation is increasingly the domain of the community, rather than professionals.

“Millions of people can make digital art, and maybe most of it is crap, so we don't know which to save,” Bollacker said.

According to Bollacker, the choice of what to save and how best to store it is one made almost by default as adult entertainment professionals continue to pioneer new forms of data distribution.

Bollacker also cited the value of peer-to-peer file-sharing applications, which allow a community to separate what is worth saving from content that has no archival value.

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

FSC Publishes Analysis of Federal Trade Commission Event Promoting AV

Free Speech Coalition (FSC) has published an analysis of a Federal Trade Commission (FTC) event held this week that promoted age verification among other forms of speech regulation.

GirlsDoPorn Owner Michael Pratt Pleads Guilty to Sex Trafficking

Michael Pratt, former owner of the rogue website GirlsDoPorn, pleaded guilty in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California on Thursday to sex trafficking and conspiracy to commit sex trafficking charges, according to a report by City News Service.

Master Nico Relaunches Site Through YourPaysitePartner

Master Nico has relaunched his official website through YourPaysitePartner (YPP).

Federal Judge Grants Partial Halt of Florida AV Law

The United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida, Tallahassee Division, has granted a preliminary injunction against HB 3, the state's age verification law, as a lawsuit filed by two online trade associations challenging the law makes its way through the courts.

Aylo Releases Statement on Suspending Access to Pornhub in France

Technology and media company Aylo, which operates adult sites including Pornhub, YouPorn, and Redtube, has released a public statement regarding its decision to block access to its sites in France.

Pineapple Support to Host Wellness Sessions at Bucharest Summit

Pineapple Support is hosting free group and one-on-one therapy sessions at Bucharest Summit, June 3-5.

Pornhub Blocks Access in France in Response to SREN Law

Pornhub parent company Aylo has opted to block access to its sites in France rather than comply with age verification requirements under the country’s Security and Regulation of the Digital Space (SREN) law.

ASACP Highlights Study on Parental Controls

The Association of Sites Advocating Child Protection (ASACP) is highlighting the results of a study on the underutilization of parental controls.

Sydney Screams Launches New Site Through Grooby's Blue.xxx

Sydney Screams has launched her new membership site, SydneyScreams.xxx, through Grooby's website management company Blue.xxx.

Mistress Mystii Is LoyalFans' 'Featured Creator' for June

LoyalFans has named Mistress Mystii as its Featured Creator for June.

Show More