Pornhub blocks access in Utah over age verification law that requires users to upload photo ID

Pornhub, one of the world's biggest adult websites, has blocked users in Utah in protest over a new age verification law that takes effect in the US state on Wednesday.

This week, Pornhub and other adult sites—all owned by MindGeek—began blocking users from Utah-based IP addresses. Now, instead of adult videos, many users are greeted with a long message explaining why they are opposing the mandate, reports CNN.

“As you may know, your elected officials in Utah are requiring us to verify your age before allowing you access to our website,” the message said.

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“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.”

The law, dubbed “SB287”, mandates websites that contain "a substantial portion of material that may be harmful to minors" to use a commercial age-verification system.

The law was signed by Governor Spencer Cox in March in a bid to create liability for porn sites that make their content available to people below the age of 18.

The statement displayed on the website is also accompanied by a video of an adult actor reading the message on-camera, saying that the age verification requirement could drive users “to sites with far fewer safety measures.”

It has called for policymakers to “identify users by their device” rather than by requiring them to upload their photo ID.

“Until a real solution is offered, we have made the difficult decision to completely disable access to our website in Utah,” the message said, concluding with a call for Utahns to “demand device-based verification solutions” from policymakers.

However, users in Louisianacan access Pornhub without any problem even though a similar age verification process is in place in that state too.

According to CNN, users accessing Pornhub in Louisiana are presented with a different webpage that directs them to verify their age with the state’s digital ID system, known as LA Wallet.

Explaining the reason behind this, a Pornhub spokesperson told CNN that, unlike Louisiana, Utah lacks a similar digital ID solution.

He added that ever since the Louisiana law went into effect, traffic from that state has fallen by 80 per cent.

(With inputs from agencies)

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