We all know porn is bad, and in the last year, more and more states have begun doing something about it.
This week, Pornhub blocked access to its site in North Carolina and Montana following the states’ new age verification laws requiring users to confirm their age through either third-party or digitized verification processes. They are the latest states to implement laws aimed at limiting the pornography industry, following Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi, Utah, Virginia and Texas last year.
These new laws come after years of troubling news surrounding Pornhub, the world’s largest adult content website. After a New York Times investigation revealed a lack of regulation that allowed a large number of videos involving sexual assault and underage women onto its online catalog — sometimes without the knowledge of the people involved — Pornhub’s executive team jumped ship and advertisers cut off MindGeek, the site’s parent company.
And things are only getting worse for Pornhub. Users attempting to view the site from these locations are now met with a message explaining the decision to restrict access.
“As you may know, your elected officials in your state are requiring us to verify your age before allowing you access to our website,” the message states. “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. Until a real solution is offered, we have made the difficult decision to completely disable access to our website in your state.”
More states are expected to enact similar age verification laws in the coming years, meaning the end of the online porn industry could be near.
