Pornhub blocks all users in another state over age-verification law

Pornhub has decided to restrict access for users in Arizona following the state’s enactment of new legislation mandating stringent age-verification protocols. The platform contends that individuals unable to access the popular site may resort to “less reputable corners of the web” to satisfy their viewing desires.

As one of the top-ranking adult websites globally, Pornhub criticized Arizona’s newly implemented laws as “ineffective, reckless, and detrimental,” asserting that these regulations could create more issues rather than resolve existing ones.

The new statute, which goes into effect this Friday, compels users to verify their age by providing a government-issued ID, a credit card, or a personal photo. Websites hosting explicit content are then obligated to delete these submitted materials.

This legislation specifically targets platforms that contain over 30% explicit material, categorizing such content as “harmful to minors,” as reported by AZ Central.

Pornhub argues that the reasoning behind the law is flawed, suggesting that individuals seeking adult content who wish to bypass the regulations will likely delve deeper into the web for less supervised and potentially hazardous alternatives.

The parent company of Pornhub, Aylo, released a statement featured by Fox 10, indicating, “This is not a matter of conjecture. We’ve observed similar outcomes across the United States.”

In Louisiana, Aylo noted that when Pornhub complied with age verification laws, web traffic dropped by 80%, leading individuals to seek pornographic content in more obscure and potentially unsafe online areas that do not enforce such laws and often lack content moderation.

“The outcome has been an increase in risk on the internet for both adults and minors,” Aylo explained, asserting that while they support age verification efforts, these measures should be conducted on users’ devices rather than by the websites themselves.

Similar laws have been enacted in over two dozen states, leading Pornhub to restrict access in 21 of them based on the same concerns, including states such as Florida, Virginia, Kansas, both Carolinas, Montana, and Tennessee, as reported by CBS News.

Despite Pornhub’s objections, lawmakers in Arizona have staunchly defended the legislation.

“I have four children, and their upbringing is extremely important to me,” stated State Rep. Nick Kupper (R), the architect of the bill. “There is broad consensus across the political spectrum about the harmful nature of pornography for minors.”

Additionally, Arizona’s legislation permits fines of up to $10,000 for each day a website fails to comply with the age verification requirements, along with penalties of up to $250,000 directed at parents if their children gain access to sites without proper measures.

Age-verification laws have encountered legal scrutiny in various regions, with Texas’ regulations notably upheld by the US Supreme Court.

Justice Clarence Thomas remarked in the majority opinion that “The statute advances the State’s important interest in shielding children from sexually explicit content.”