The Porn Wars are getting steamy. Pornhub is pulling out of Virginia due to the state’s new age verification law, notes WRIC.
Legislatures passed a bill that was signed by Governor Glenn Youngkin requiring age verification for users to be on the site, setting the minimum age at eighteen. They’d have to input a properly working (ie no tears, blotches etc), formal government-issued I.D.
Smart on its face, but it could provide an array of inconveniences to users over that age. Let’s say you’re 40 years old but your ID is a little tattered, or you lost it for a moment. No Pornhub for you. Of course, that hardly seems like the end of the world, plenty of other porn sites would still be accessible.
In opposition to this, Pornhub has nixed access to the site across the state. That means no one in Virginia can access the website. When a user goes on to the site, they get a message from porn star Cherie Deville. Young Turks has a rundown but has the most of the video at the beginning of their segment if you’re curious.
She makes an interesting argument. “While safety and compliance are at the forefront of our mission, giving your ID card every time you want to visit an adult platform is not the most effective solution for protecting our users and, in fact, will put children and your privacy at risk. In addition, mandating age verification without proper enforcement gives platforms the opportunity to choose whether or not to comply.”
A supporter of the bill noted that these restrictions aren’t that different than those put on vapes, cigarettes and alcohol.
But Deville, who is becoming a bit of a political spokeswoman with those whole affair, said this drives traffic to other, even less protected sites, with even potentially more dangerous content.
But still, Youngkin is going full steam ahead. “The governor remains committed to protecting Virginia’s children from dangerous material on the internet,” a spokeswoman said.
A similar bill got passed in Utah as well, signaling some momentum for those wanting Pornhub access to be limited. We’ll keep you posted to see if it gets anywhere.
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