Pornhub has limited access in France as of yesterday, as reported by the BBC and other media sources. The platform has allegedly exited the nation, its second-largest market according to CNN, due to a new French age-verification regulation.
The regulation mandates that pornographic websites implement a technical system to verify user ages beyond a basic checkbox by June 7, as stated by Radio France Internationale. This system needs to be overseen by a third party and guarantee “double anonymity,” meaning that the pornographic website remains unaware of the user’s precise age, and the verification system does not track which websites the user visits. It requires a user’s credit card or government-issued identification.
Why is Pornhub inaccessible in France?
On June 4, Pornhub, along with YouPorn and Redtube (all part of Aylo, previously MindGeek), restricted access in France.
“We’ve made the tough choice to halt access to our platforms (user-uploaded content platforms, including Pornhub, YouPorn, Redtube) in France and instead utilize our platforms to communicate directly with the French populace,” stated Alex Kekesi, Pornhub’s VP of brand and community.
“For years, we have sought to partner with the government, through consultations, data sharing, and offering participation in pilot projects,” Kekesi added. “The outcomes have been evident—site-based age verification is ineffective. It fails to safeguard children and exposes the data of millions of French citizens to privacy violations and breaches.”
The statement promotes the idea of device-based filtering, contending that individuals will not cease their pursuit of porn and will seek non-complying websites instead.
“The Aylo group has opted to evade the necessity of protecting minors by suspending access to its content in France, even for adults, despite the existence of numerous technical solutions that allow for user age verification while ensuring the safeguarding of their personal data,” commented Arcom, France’s communication authority, in its own press release.
“Au revoir,” wrote Aurore Bergé, France’s minister for gender equality, on X, indicating that Pornhub, YouPorn, and Redtube refuse to adhere to the law.
Age-verification laws in the U.S. and internationally
In recent years, age-verification laws have been implemented in nearly a third of U.S. states. Generally, these laws necessitate proof of age, such as facial recognition or government ID. Similar to France, Pornhub has restricted access from many of those states, citing the challenges of compliance.
However, free speech proponents argue that age-verification laws will not operate as intended since they can be circumvented through software like VPNs and may introduce privacy and security concerns. A recent study from NYU indicated that age-verification laws are ineffective for these reasons.
In January, the Supreme Court deliberated on the constitutionality of Texas’s age-verification law. A ruling is anticipated this month.
Mashable has contacted Pornhub for a response.