Pornhub stopped operating in Texas due to the Digital Services Act – Kommersant

Pornhub has blocked access to its content in the US state of Texas in protest against new amendments to the law on digital services, writes NBC News. The site is now blocking access to users accessing the platform from an IP address in Texas. In its statement, Pornhub calls the amendments to the law “ineffective” and “disjointed.”

In a statement, the company noted that access to its content in Texas has limited the entire portfolio owned by Pornhub’s parent company, Aylo, including Brazzers, YouPorn and Men.com. Pornhub believes the new user requirements will “put minors and their privacy at risk.” The statement also said the restrictions would push users away from legal adult content platforms like Pornhub and toward illegal platforms.

On March 7, Politico, citing sources, reported that the two largest porn sites – Pornhub and Xvideos – filed a lawsuit against the European Union in connection with the law adopted in the union territory to regulate large online platforms. Pornhub’s lawsuit disputes that the porn site is covered by the Digital Services Act (DSA). According to the DSA, large online platforms are sites with a monthly audience of 45 million or more people. Pornhub’s lawsuit states that the platform’s audience is 33 million people.

In December 2023, the European Commission expanded the scope of the DSA, which regulates the safety of people on the Internet (adopted in August 2023). The three largest porn sites – Pornhub, Xvideos and Stripchat – have been classified by the EC as VLOPs (Very Large Online Platforms). According to the DSA, VLOPs must verify the age of users, including through credit card verification or facial scanning. Failure to comply with the DSA risks a fine of up to 6% of the company’s global turnover.

Polina Motyzlevskaya