The online landscape for adult content in France is undergoing a significant change as Pornhub, one of the world’s most popular adult websites, is blocking access for users in the country. The move, enacted by Aylo, the company that operates Pornhub, Youporn, and RedTube, took effect starting Wednesday.
The decision is a direct response to a new French law that mandates stricter measures for age verification on adult platforms operating within the country.
Why the Withdrawal? Aylo’s Stance on the Law
Aylo has voiced strong objections to the French legislation, describing it as a “privacy risk” that is both “dangerous” and “ineffective.” The company argues that requiring individual websites to collect sensitive personal data for age verification, such as credit card details or government IDs, poses significant security concerns and risks of data breaches for users.
While the French law reportedly offers a “double-blind” third-party verification option intended to protect user privacy by preventing the adult platforms themselves from seeing identifying information, Aylo maintains this system is still vulnerable to “bad actors,” hacking attempts, and data leaks.
Aylo, which is owned by Canadian private equity firm Ethical Capital Partners, contends that the responsibility for age verification should instead lie with major technology companies. Executives like Solomon Friedman, VP for Compliance at Ethical Capital Partners, and Alex Kekesi argue that developers of operating systems like Microsoft (Windows), Apple (iOS), and Google (Android) already possess the built-in capability to securely verify a user’s age at the device level. They propose that these tech giants could provide an “age signal” to any site or app, offering a more secure and privacy-preserving solution without forcing users to share sensitive data with numerous individual websites. Aylo states it supports the concept of age verification but objects to France’s specific implementation methods.
Significance and Protest
The withdrawal from France is particularly impactful for Pornhub, as the country represents its second-largest market globally, trailing only the United States.
In a pointed protest against the law, Aylo announced plans to display a specific message for French visitors on its sites instead of providing content access. This message is expected to feature an image derived from Eugene Delacroix’s famous painting “Liberty Leading the People,” notably including the bare-breasted allegorical figure, to symbolize their stand against the French legal framework.
French Government’s Response
The French government has welcomed Aylo’s decision to pull out. Aurore Bergé, the Minister for Gender Equality, reacted positively on social media, stating “au revoir” and expressing that the outcome would lead to “less violent, degrading and humiliating content accessible to minors in France.”
Part of a Global Trend
This standoff in France is reflective of a wider trend of increasing regulatory pressure on providers of sexually explicit material across the globe.
United States: Aylo has reportedly withdrawn from several US states that have implemented similar age verification laws.
European Union: The EU recently launched an investigation into whether Pornhub and other similar platforms are doing enough to protect children.
- United Kingdom: The UK is also set to implement its own robust “age assurance” requirements for all sites offering sexually explicit content. Media regulator Ofcom requires platforms to have stringent checks in place by July. Potential methods being considered in the UK include facial detection software to estimate a user’s age. Following tests of face scanning technology by platforms like Discord, experts anticipate a potential shift towards facial recognition playing a larger role in future UK age checks. BBC News has reportedly inquired whether Aylo intends to block its sites in the UK as well when these new laws take effect. Separately, Ofcom initiated investigations into two pornography websites in May for allegedly failing to detail how they prevent minors from accessing their content.
- https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c5yelvlnzveo
- https://au.news.yahoo.com/pornhub-pulls-france-over-age-163813744.html
- https://www.straitstimes.com/world/europe/pornhub-owner-pressures-france-over-age-verification-law
- https://m.economictimes.com/news/international/us/adult-websites-pornhub-youporn-take-on-france-over-age-verification-law-details-here/articleshow/121601096.cms
The dispute in France underscores the complex challenge regulators, tech companies, and content providers face in balancing the crucial goal of protecting children online with safeguarding user privacy and finding practical, secure methods for age verification in the digital age.
