Many porn sites, including Pornhub, YouPorn, and RedTube, all went dark earlier this month in France to protest a new age verification law that would have required the websites to collect ID from users. But those sites went back online Friday after a new ruling from a French court suspended enforcement of the law until it can be determined whether it conflicts with existing European Union rules, according to France24.
Aylo, the company that owns Pornhub, has previously said that requiring age verification “creates an unacceptable security risk” and warned that setting up that kind of process makes people vulnerable to hacks and leaks of sensitive information. The French law would’ve required Aylo to verify user ages with a government-issued ID or a credit card.
The company favors age verification methods that are done by large tech companies like Microsoft and Apple at the device level and told France24 that the suspension of the law is an “opportunity to reconsider more efficient approaches” for age verification. The government of France plans to appeal the suspension of the law to the Council of State, the highest administrative court in the country, according to France24.
France is Pornhub’s second largest market behind the U.S., according to the company’s own figures. The Philippines, Mexico, and the United Kingdom make up the rest of the top five countries that visit Pornhub by traffic. Pornhub didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
Age verification laws for porn websites has been a controversial issue globally, with the U.S. seeing a dramatic uptick in states passing such laws in recent years. Nineteen states now have laws that require age verification for porn sites, meaning that anyone who wants to access Pornhub in places like Florida and Texas need to use a VPN.
Australia recently passed a law banning social media use for anyone under the age of 16, regardless of explicit content, which is currently making its way through the expected challenges. The law had a 12-month buffer built in to allow the country’s internet safety regulator to figure out how to implement it. Tech giants like Meta and TikTok were dealt a blow on Friday after the commission issued a report stating that age verification “can be private, robust and effective,” though trials are ongoing about how to best make the law work, according to ABC News in Australia.
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