Austin, March 15: Pornhub, one of the largest adult entertainment websites, has been shut down in Texas in a dispute related to age verification law. According to the reports, Pornhub has disabled its services in Texas and now shows a message to the visitors to provide an ID when accessing the website. However, a report said there are more effective solutions to protect users online than providing ID.
According to the report by CBS News, Pornhub banned its content after Attorney General Ken Paxton's lawsuit that accused Aylo Global Entertainment, the parent company of Pornhub, violated the HB 1181 law. Texas state enacted a previous blocked age verification law 'HB 1181' last year that required users to take their government ID photos or use any other third-party verification service before visiting any pornographic website. The law required the porn website to show a message about health warning that claims that "porn impairs human brain development. Elon Musk Twitter Layoffs: Former Twitter Employee Asked Federal Judge To Order Elon To Sit for Seven-Hour Deposition; Check Key Allegations.
Pornhub Shuts Down in Texas Over Age Verification Law:
#New: Pornhub, one of the largest adult entertainment websites, has completely shut down services in Texas, after the OAG and lawmakers sought to do more to require those websites to verify user age. #txlege
If you pull up Pornhub (don’t ask), this letter comes up ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/RjavLjUcwU
— Michael Adkison (@madkisonews) March 14, 2024
CBS News reported that Attorney General Ken Paxton said that the Texas state has the right to protect children from the detrimental effects of pornographic content. He further said that he looked forward to holding any accountable company that violates the age verification law to protect minors from harmful and obscene material online.
The report said that violating HB 1181 results in fines of up to $10,000 daily. It added that an additional $10,000 per day fine would be charged if the corporation illegally retains identifying information. Further, the law asks the company to pay $250,000 if a child is exposed to pornographic content by not going through the age verification process. Byju’s Legal Battle: US Court Orders Edtech Giant To Freeze ‘USD 533 Million’ Owed to Lenders.
According to a report by The Verge, it is not the first time Pornhub has been disabled over age verification as last year, the porn website was blocked in states like Virginia, Utah, Arkansas and Mississippi. The report also said that the Pornhub adult website went dark in Montana and North Carolina.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 15, 2024 12:47 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).