In response to recently enacted legislation in Louisiana, the popular adult website Pornhub has enforced age verification measures, requiring users to verify their driver’s licenses through the LA Wallet app to access explicit content.
While the move was intended to comply with the state’s regulations, it has resulted in a significant drop in traffic, with an approximate 80 per cent decline since the implementation.
The implementation of age verification tools on adult websites has long been a subject of scrutiny by privacy advocates. Critics argue that such measures necessitate the sharing of personal information, including government-issued IDs, which raises concerns about data security.
Given the history of security breaches targeting government databases, the efficacy and safety of age verification tools have been called into question.
Similar legislation mandating age verification will soon take effect in other states such as Texas and Montana by 2024.
However, Pornhub has taken a different approach to compliance by choosing to block access entirely from states like Mississippi, Virginia, and Utah, which have recently passed laws requiring age verification.
Visitors attempting to navigate to Pornhub from these states will be greeted with an informative video featuring adult star Cherie DeVille, highlighting the potential risks associated with sharing personal information and the flaws in the current age verification system.
In the video, DeVille emphasized her concerns about the age verification process.
“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,” she said.
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DeVille’s statement sheds light on the impact of the age verification measures, suggesting that individuals in the affected states did not cease their consumption of adult content but instead migrated to unregulated and potentially unsafe corners of the internet. These platforms often lack age verification, proper content moderation, and user safety measures.
Pornhub has proposed on-device age verification as a potential solution to address the privacy concerns associated with online age checks. The company suggests that many devices already offer free and user-friendly parental control features that can prevent children from accessing adult content without jeopardizing sensitive user data.
However, challenges remain, as some parents may lack the technical expertise to prevent children from bypassing these features.
Notably, in its ongoing efforts to combat nonconsensual content and child sexual abuse material (CSAM), Pornhub has implemented measures requiring adult actors to verify their age and identity.
While this policy, enacted in 2020, aims to improve content moderation, Pornhub continues to face legal challenges related to CSAM. However, the website asserts that compared to other less regulated platforms, it has taken steps toward ensuring a safer environment for users and performers.
These developments come amidst a period of corporate reorganization for Pornhub’s parent company, MindGeek, which was recently sold to a newly established private equity firm, Ethical Capital Partners. Additionally, MindGeek experienced significant leadership changes in the previous year, with both the CEO and COO departing from the company.
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