Pornhub, a subsidiary of Aylo, has halted access to its site in Texas following the enactment of an age-verification law. The move comes after Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit against the company for non-compliance with state regulations, The Post Millennial reports.
The pornography giant released a statement condemning the law, asserting that it infringes on adults’ rights and fails to effectively protect minors. The company expressed concerns about the impact on users’ privacy and safety, arguing that age verification measures are not a foolproof solution.
🚨#BREAKING: PornHub has just pulled its services out of Texas due to age verification law pic.twitter.com/Opotcv9v7I
— R A W S A L E R T S (@rawsalerts) March 14, 2024
“While safety and compliance are at the forefront of our mission, providing identification every time you want to visit an adult platform is not an effective solution for protecting users online, and in fact, will put minors and your privacy at risk,” Pornhub stated.
Paxton, in response to the lawsuit, emphasized Texas’s right to shield children from harmful content.
In a post with the lawsuit, Paxton wrote, “Texas has a right to protect its children from the detrimental effects of pornographic content. I look forward to holding any company accountable that violates our age verification laws intended to prevent minors from being exposed to harmful, obscene material on the internet.”
The age verification law, passed last year, mandates adult content websites to implement measures ensuring users are 18 or older. However, its enforcement faced legal hurdles, with a federal appeals court recently upholding a previous ruling that struck down the law due to free speech concerns.
