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Pornhub set to block access in new state from January 1 after controversial bill introduced

Home> News> US News

Published 16:56 18 Dec 2024 GMT

Pornhub set to block access in new state from January 1 after controversial bill introduced

Users in the state will now be met with a warning message before they lose access

Emily Brown

Emily Brown

Featured Image Credit: Getty Images/boonchai wedmakawand/Getty Images/Sammyvision

Topics: Florida, Parenting

Emily Brown
Emily Brown

Emily Brown is UNILAD Editorial Lead at LADbible Group. She first began delivering news when she was just 11 years old - with a paper route - before graduating with a BA Hons in English Language in the Media from Lancaster University. Emily joined UNILAD in 2018 to cover breaking news, trending stories and longer form features. She went on to become Community Desk Lead, commissioning and writing human interest stories from across the globe, before moving to the role of Editorial Lead. Emily now works alongside the UNILAD Editor to ensure the page delivers accurate, interesting and high quality content.

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The number of US states in which Pornhub has blocked access is set to increase by one in the New Year after lawmakers passed a controversial law about adult websites.

Pornhub, the leading adult content and pornographic website for users across the globe, has already removed access for residents in 12 US states, where anyone attempting to access the site will be met with a message which says: "403 - This state is not whitelisted."

It might seem like a bizarre move for such a popular site, but Pornhub's decision comes in response to age verification laws which have been put into place in states across the US.

Pornhub is set to be blocked in 13 states (Nikolas Kokovlis/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Pornhub is set to be blocked in 13 states (Nikolas Kokovlis/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Where is Pornhub already blocked?

At the time of writing (December 18), the pornography site is already blocked in the following states:

  • Kentucky
  • Indiana
  • Idaho
  • Kansas
  • Nebraska
  • Texas
  • North Carolina
  • Montana
  • Mississippi
  • Virginia
  • Arkansas
  • Utah

The.blocks come in response to age verification laws (Getty Stock Photo)
The.blocks come in response to age verification laws (Getty Stock Photo)

Where else will Pornhub block access?

As of January 1, residents in Florida will lose their access to the website as it responds to a bill signed into law by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in March.

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The law requires anonymous and standard age verification be put in place on adult sites, and any websites which fail to oblige may be fined up to $50,000 per violation by the state Department of Legal Affairs.

At a press conference, DeSantis said: "You can have a kid in the house safe, seemingly, and then you have predators that can get right in there into your own home. You could be doing everything right but they know how to get and manipulate these different platforms."

However, Pornhub has argued that this need for verification poses a privacy risk for its users.

Pornhub users are met with a warning that it is set to be blocked (Pornhub)
Pornhub users are met with a warning that it is set to be blocked (Pornhub)

What has Pornhub said about the law?

The website now features a notice for users in Florida which reads: "Did you know that your government wants you to give your driver's license before you can access PORNHUB?

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"As crazy as that sounds, it's true. You'll be required to prove you are 18 years or older such as by uploading your government ID for every adult content website you'd like to access.

"We don't want minors accessing our site and think preventing that from happening is a good thing. But putting everybody's privacy at risk won't achieve that."

In a statement to Florida Today, Pornhub's owner Aylo had made clear that it supports age verification of users, but it believes the law 'must preserve user safety and privacy, and must effectively protect children from accessing content intended for adults'.

"Unfortunately, the way many jurisdictions worldwide, including Florida, have chosen to implement age verification is ineffective, haphazard, and dangerous," a spokesperson said.

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UNILAD has reached out to the governor's office for comment.

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