Ansfelden to Cyprus

The porn empires and their secret emperors

There are only a few big players behind the most popular websites.(Bild: Krone KREATIV/babkinasvetlana, Дмитрий Майер, tuliart24 – stock.adobe.com)

The online porn industry likes to present itself openly to the outside world, but little is known about its owners and ownership structures. A search for clues that takes us from Ansfelden in Upper Austria to tax havens such as Cyprus and the Caribbean island of Curaçao.

Sex sells - not only, but especially on the internet. There is a suitable offer for almost all sexual varieties, fetishes and desires. As diverse as this may appear to the outside world, there are only a few big players behind the most popular websites who, unlike their extras who strip naked in front of the cameras, avoid the public eye and are reluctant to be associated with the "dirty" business.