PornHub Closes Its Services Again In More Countries Impact Of The Age Verification Act

JAKARTA - PornHub announced it will stop operating in five more states this summer due to a new law requiring age verification on adult entertainment sites.

Over the past year, PornHub had to make difficult decisions to block access to users in many American states because of the recently passed Age Verification law, including in Texas, Utah, Arkansas, Virginia, Montana, North Carolina, Mississippi.

And now, in July 2024, PornHub said it would block its access to several other states that implemented similar laws, namely Indiana, Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky and Nebraska.

In the context of this law, age verification will require users to prove that they are really 18+ old to view adult content by sending personal identity photos, and this presents the risk of identity theft.

Although PornHub has always prioritized safety and compliance with applicable policies, they regret that this law is considered ineffective.

Those looking for adult content will definitely end up on irresponsible sites that do not enforce security, privacy, consent, or content moderation, the company wrote in its announcement.

The company also encourages policymakers to learn more about device-based verification solutions that make the internet more secure for all, especially children, and also respect privacy.

This means users will only get verification once, through their operating system, not on every age-constrained site. This dramatically reduces privacy risks and creates a very simple process for regulators to enforce," he concluded.