Pornhub halts access in Texas following age verification law enforcement
Adult content giant claims new regulations impinge on free speech rights and jeopardize user privacy
Pornhub, the popular adult content website, has disabled access for users in Texas after the state began enforcing a controversial age verification law.
In a statement released Thursday, Pornhub criticized the measure, arguing that it not only infringes upon the free speech rights of adults but also fails to effectively protect minors from accessing explicit material online.
"As you may know, your elected officials in Texas are requiring us to verify your age before allowing you access to our website," the statement read. "Not only does this impinge on the rights of adults to access protected speech, it fails strict scrutiny by employing the least effective and yet also most restrictive means of accomplishing Texas's stated purpose of allegedly protecting minors."
The company further warned that requiring users to provide identification each time they visit an adult platform could put both minors and users' privacy at risk.
🚨#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
Last month, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit against Pornhub for non-compliance with the state's age verification laws.
In a post announcing the legal action, Paxton asserted, "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 by the Texas legislature last year, mandates that websites with adult content implement measures to ensure users are at least 18 years old. The legislation faced legal challenges and was initially struck down by a judge over free speech concerns, but was recently upheld by a federal appeals court.
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