The pornography website Pornhub has taken preemptive action to bar access from several states over laws requiring age verification to access the site.
The adult content website announced in late June that it was barring access from users in Arkansas because the state enacted legislation requiring pornography websites to confirm users’ ages and identities before allowing access. Requiring age verification standards for pornographic websites arose as an idea after Louisiana succeeded in passing the legislation, which led to more than half a dozen states passing their own versions of the bill.
BIDENOMICS: WHY BIDEN GETS POOR RATINGS ON THE ECONOMY DESPITE IMPROVING NUMBERS
Age verification requirements have been slammed by the company and privacy advocates, who argue that collecting data in such a way creates a significant risk to user privacy.
Here are the states that are banned from accessing Pornhub.
Arkansas
Arkansas is the latest state to have its users banned by Pornhub. The company implemented the ban days before the state was scheduled to enforce age verification rules.
“While safety and compliance are at the forefront of our mission, giving your ID card every time you want to visit an adult platform is not the most effective solution for protecting our users, and in fact, will put children and your privacy at risk,” Pornhub said in a statement on Saturday.
The state legislature passed the Protection of Minors from Distribution of Harmful Materials Act in April and intended to implement it this month.
Virginia/Mississippi/Utah
Utah passed legislation in March to require age verification to access pornographic sites. Mississippi passed similar legislation in April, and Virginia did the same in May.
Pornhub responded in late June by redirecting all attempts to visit the site from those states to a separate page with a video by adult film performer Cherie DeVille.
“While safety and compliance are at the forefront of our mission, giving your ID card every time you want to visit an adult platform is not the most effective solution for protecting our users and will put children and your privacy at risk,” DeVille said.
Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R-VA) “remains committed to protecting Virginia’s children from dangerous material on the internet,” a spokeswoman said in a statement.
Louisiana
The southern state was one of the first to implement age restrictions for online content in January, requiring users to present copies of their government-issued ID to a state-run database to access pornography websites.
“Pornography is destroying our children, and they’re getting unlimited access to it on the internet, and so if the pornography companies aren’t going to be responsible, I thought we need to go ahead and hold them accountable,” Republican state Rep. Laurie Schlegel, the bill’s sponsor, argued.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Pornhub never decided to restrict its website in Louisiana, however.
States with legislation in the works
Several other states have attempted to copy Louisiana, to mixed effects. Texas and Montana both succeeded in passing legislation but have not implemented it yet, according to the Free Speech Coalition. Lawmakers in Florida, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, South Dakota, and West Virginia introduced similar bills in the 2023 legislative session but failed to get them passed before the end. California also had a bill introduced but its initial hearing was canceled.
