Pornhub will soon be blocked in five additional states as the adult site continues to challenge age-verification laws that compel users to provide ID to access content. According to a blog post on the site, starting July 1, visitors in Indiana, Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky, and Nebraska will encounter a video featuring adult entertainer Cherie Deville explaining the decision behind the block.
Similar blocks are already in place in Texas, Utah, Arkansas, Virginia, Montana, North Carolina, and Mississippi. Pornhub asserts that these laws place users at substantial risk of identity theft and phishing by requiring the frequent disclosure of personal information.
Pornhub supports device-based age verification, which allows users to authenticate their age only once on their devices rather than each time they visit an adult site. The site argues this method is more privacy-conscious and easier to enforce.
A representative from Aylo, Pornhub’s parent company, stated that current age-verification implementations are often ineffective and hazardous, putting user safety at risk. The representative pointed to the potential for data breaches and mismanagement of sensitive user data as major concerns.
Reports from cyber security firms underscore these risks, with past breaches exposing user data on sites like Adult Friend Finder and Brazzers. Pornhub argues that current laws inadvertently push users towards less secure, non-compliant sites which increases their exposure to risks.
The impact of these laws is already apparent; after Louisiana enacted its age-verification law, Pornhub experienced an approximate 80% drop in traffic from the state. This trend underscores the challenge regulators face in enforcing these laws effectively. Data from Similarweb and Google Trends show compliant sites losing significant traffic while non-compliant sites gain users, highlighting potential enforcement issues.