Pornhub exits France over age verification law

Pornhub's parent company, Aylo, has decided to block access to its platform in France due to a new legislation mandating age verification for adult websites. The French communications authority, Arcom, announced this development on Tuesday, criticizing Aylo for evading its responsibility to protect minors as outlined in the country’s digital regulations. Arcom pointed out that various technical solutions exist that could facilitate age verification while preserving user privacy. The law, enacted last year, requires pornographic sites to implement more stringent age-checking measures, which might involve verifying users through bank card information, according to an October document released by the regulator. Reports indicate that Aylo has also restricted access to its other sites, including YouPorn and Redtube, in France. In 2024, France was the second-largest audience for Pornhub, following the United States. Aylo has previously contended that age verification should be the responsibility of device manufacturers like Apple and Google, rather than adult websites. French Gender Equality Minister Aurore Bergé emphasized that Aylo’s withdrawal from the French market would reduce the availability of harmful content to minors, expressing approval of the decision on social media. The issue of online protection for minors is gaining traction globally, with numerous jurisdictions, including 19 U.S. states, implementing laws requiring adult sites to verify user ages through government-issued IDs or facial recognition. These regulations have prompted some major adult platforms to restrict access to users in these states to avoid costly compliance measures. Additionally, the European Commission has initiated an investigation into Pornhub and other leading adult sites for failing to meet standards aimed at safeguarding minors from accessing inappropriate content. The commission is also working on developing an age-verification application to help users confirm their age without disclosing personal information.