Pornhub blocks content for some users in the US due to age verification laws
On July 1, the US states of Mississippi and Virginia passed laws requiring adult sites to verify the age of users, despite efforts by Pornhub to oppose the legislation. This is reported by Ars Technica.
These efforts include blocking Pornhub from accessing users in these states. The platform is also trying to rally users and convince lawmakers that requiring ID to access adult content will only hurt users in their states more.
Pornhub issued a statement on Twitter saying that the actions taken by US officials to prevent children from accessing adult content is “great”. But “the way many elected officials have chosen to implement these laws is haphazard and dangerous.”
Pornhub says the main problem with these laws is that states “don’t regulate enforcement.” This means that big platforms like Pornhub are likely to comply voluntarily – or face fines of up to $1 million annually.
Another likely consequence is that users seeking to avoid age verification will simply switch to other platforms that do not require personal identification and often pose a threat to the security of user privacy.
Pornhub believes that instead of requiring platforms to verify identity, lawmakers should require age verification on devices.
Age verification laws are set to go into effect in three more states soon. Next will be Arkansas (July 31), Texas (September 1) and Montana (January 1, 2024). Until a better solution is found, Pornhub, which is currently the eighth most visited site in the US according to SimilarWeb, will likely continue to block access to more and more US users.
As you know, Pornhub is not the only one protesting against these laws. Last month, the Free Speech Coalition (FSC) sued Louisiana over its age-verification law, and FSC Executive Director Alison Boden said similar laws passed in seven states are unconstitutional.