Pornhub disabled its site in Texas to protest a law that wants the company to verify users' ages to stop kids from using the site.
People in Texas who go to the site see a message from the company criticizing the state's leaders who want them to track user ages.
The company said the new law violates adults' rights to view protected speech and doesn't effectively protect minors as it's too restrictive.
Pornhub stated that safety and following rules are key to its mission, but making users show ID every time they visit is not a good way to protect them. The site argues that the restrictions will actually endanger minors and users' privacy.
The company's message said that requiring age verification without a way to enforce it on a large scale leaves platforms to decide whether to comply, putting many sites at risk. It added that very few sites have the strong Trust and Safety measures that are already in place on Pornhub.
The company said it made the tough choice to completely block access to its website in Texas until a real solution is found. This was first reported by the Houston Chronicle.
Following reports of the lawsuit by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, Pornhub made the announcement. Attorney General Ken Paxton is suing Aylo, the parent company of Pornhub, for not following the new age verification law.Paxton is seeking to have Aylo pay up to $1,600,000, starting from mid-September of last year until the lawsuit filing date, and then an additional $10,000 for each day since filing.
Paxton’s lawsuit It's seeking monetary damages from Aylo, the parent company of Pornhub, for not adhering to the new age verification law.
Paxton Paxton released a statement on March 8, saying the ruling is an important win and that the age verification requirement does not violate the First Amendment. He claimed victory in the fight against Pornhub and other adult content companies. This is the result of a ruling from the state Legislature last year, requiring companies that distribute potentially harmful sexual material to ensure users are at least 18 years old. The law demands users provide official ID or other data to prove they're old enough to access the site.
This was updated at 4:29 pm.
Pornhub has disabled its site in Texas to protest a law that wants the company to verify users' ages to prevent kids from accessing the site. Visitors from Texas are greeted with a message from the company criticizing the state's leaders who are requiring them to…
