Pornhub will shut down operations in five more states this summer due to new legislation requiring age verification on adult entertainment sites. The move is in response to a recent wave of laws requiring users of porn websites and other platforms with adult-only content to collect proof of age. In all of these states, this means that people must upload a copy of their driver’s license or other government ID or register with a third-party age verification service to use sites like Pornhub.
According to Pornhub, it has the latest places to close , , , and . The site said it will stop operating in those states in July 2024. The site is closed and also blocked access to its site in Arkansas, Mississippi, , and Virginia in response to similar state legislation.
Lawmakers in those states, which support age-verification laws, said the rules would discourage children from viewing explicit content. For example, the Kentucky bill labeled pornography a “public health crisis” with a “corrosive effect” on children.
Pornhub’s parent company, Aylo, countered that the approach taken by these laws puts users’ privacy at risk and cannot actually prevent minors from viewing explicit content. after and Aylo, a government-backed age verification service that remained in operation, saw Pornhub traffic drop by 80 percent in the state.
“These people didn’t stop looking for porn,” Aylo said . “They’ve simply moved to the dark places of the internet that don’t require users to verify their age, don’t enforce laws, don’t take user safety seriously, and don’t even police content.” Company device-based age verification solution rather than state legislation to keep minors away from adult-only sites.
The Electronic Borders Foundation also raised privacy concerns around these bills, noting that no age verification method is completely foolproof. “No one should hand over their driver’s license just to access free sites. That’s why the EFF opposes mandatory age verification laws, no matter how well-intentioned they are,” the organization said. .
