Pornhub Blocks More US States Over Recent Age Verification Law

• Pornhub will be blocking a few new U.S. states as a new legislative bill goes into effect in July.
• The law aims to prevent minors from accessing sexually explicit websites by employing age-verification solutions.
• The popular adult website said they took this decision over privacy concerns.

Pornhub announced that blocking Indiana, Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky, and Nebraska due to the newly enacted age verification laws will go into effect starting July 2024. The new law aims to protect children from the mental health risks of exposure to pornography and holds liable entities that knowingly provide access to such materials to underage users.

The blackout will apply to all the adult websites belonging to Aylo, Pornhub’s parent company, which includes more than a dozen other brands. Indiana, Idaho, and Kansas will lose access on June 28, while Kentucky and Nebraska are already blocked, according to a spokesperson.

Legislative Bill 1092, introduced by State Sen. Dave Murman of Glenvil, requires online porn companies to verify users’ ages by asking them to prove being over 18 via uploading IDs or driver's licenses. 

Aylo says that “age verification can make the internet a safer space for everyone,” but any effective method to prove age requires users to disclose personally identifiable information (PII). This practice is not privacy-friendly and creates the risk of PII theft and data breaches, potentially leading to cybercriminal extortion via phishing campaigns and more.

The company says this decision helps them avoid assuming the risk of checking user IDs for granting access. As lawmakers execute new laws ineffectively, the target users are sure to access irresponsible adult websites with no safety, privacy, consent, or content moderation.  

They further advertise identifying users at the source as the most effective approach to protect users, allowing access to age-restricted content via a single identification of their device or account on the device. 

Aylo suggests that device-based age verification could involve sharing PII in person at an authorized retailer, locally on the user device, or stored on a network of the device manufacturer or the device’s operating system supplier.

Over the past year, the adult website blocked user access in Texas, Utah, Arkansas, Virginia, Montana, North Carolina, and Mississippi due to similar bills.