Pornhub Announces withdrawal from Florida's market
As the new year approaches, Pornhub bids adieu to Florida. This departure is due to a stringent age verification law that comes into effect on January 1st. Similar to laws enacted in other Republican-led states where Pornhub has ceased operations, this law is tough on Pornhub.
Visitors from Florida to Pornhub have recently encountered an engaging pop-up. "YOU WILL BE DENIED ACCESS TO PORNHUB IN 14 DAYS" reads the window that grabs attention upon accessing the site from a Florida IP address. The message continues, "Did you know that your government wants you to present your driver's license prior to gaining access to PORNHUB? It might sound absurd, but it's indeed the case. You'll need to validate your age by uploading your government ID for every adult content site you wish to access."
The Republican Party has been unwavering in its fight against pornography. In several states, it has emerged victorious. In Oklahoma, Kentucky, Texas, Montana, North Carolina, Arkansas, Utah, Mississippi, Virginia, and Louisiana, individuals aiming to access adult websites must prove their 18+ age by presenting a government ID.
Florida's law is referred to as HB3. This law is broad-spectrum. It mandates that websites offering material deemed "harmful to minors" must provide an "anonymous age verification" mechanism to minors. But what constitutes material as "harmful to minors?" According to the law, any content that "the average person, applying contemporary community standards, would find appealing to their prurient interest" falls under this category.
The law provides ample room for interpretation, leading to the misuse of such ill-defined speech laws. HB3 also includes a provision meant to exclude minors from social media websites entirely. This controversial law has caught the attention of the ACLU and the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression.
Pornhub's response to these laws has been to geoblock the affected states. come January 1st, Florida will join this list. The company argues that it aims to prevent minors from accessing its site, but believes there are more secure and private methods to verify a user's age. "The best solution to ensure internet safety, preserve user privacy, and prevent underage access to adult content is to perform age verification at the source: on the device," Aylo, Pornhub's parent company, stated in a communique to Florida Politics.
The Free Speech Coalition, a trade organization representing pornography websites, has been challenging these laws in court. "These laws impose a substantial burden on adults wishing to access legal sites without fear of surveillance. Despite the proponents' claims, HB3 is not akin to presenting an ID at a liquor store. It is intrusive and carries a significant risk to privacy," Alison Boden, Executive Director of the Free Speech Coalition, said in a statement. "This law, and others like it, have effectively become state censorship, creating a chilling effect on those who discuss or engage in issues related to sex or sexuality."
Louisiana was the first state to implement such an ID law. When it did so last year, Pornhub complied. It reported a 80% drop in traffic within the state. "These individuals did not cease their pursuit of pornography. They merely migrated to less scrutinized corners of the internet, which do not ask for age verification, disregard the law, prioritize user privacy, and often fail to moderate content. In essence, these laws have merely made the internet more hazardous for both adults and children," Aylo stated in a communique.
The tech industry is brainstorming alternative age verification methods to comply with stringent laws, recognizing that the current method proposed in the future technology landscape might not be privately acceptable to users. With the implementation of such laws, tech companies are concerned about the potential for broader censorship, impacting open discussions and engagement related to sexuality and expression online.
