Pornhub accuses French regulations of potentially exposing user data.
Pornhub, a leading adult content platform, is threatening to discontinue its services in France due to strict new age verification rules. The company argues these regulations could compromise user privacy, making their data vulnerable to breaches and leaks.
Aylo, Pornhub’s parent company, which also owns RedTube and YouPorn, has voiced concerns regarding the practicality of meeting the French requirements by the set deadline of June 7.
Beginning Wednesday, French users will encounter a message criticizing the age verification demands. A company spokesperson told AFP the message aims to explain “how dangerous, how potentially privacy-infringing, and how ineffective the French law is.”
Arcom, the French regulatory authority, has mandated that adult websites implement strong age verification systems to prevent minors from accessing explicit content, in accordance with a 2023 law. Failure to comply could result in substantial fines or the website being blocked in France.
Bergé wrote on X on Tuesday that, “There will be less violent, degrading, and humiliating content accessible to minors in France. Bye,”. France’s Digital Minister Clara Chappaz stated that “requiring pornographic sites to verify the age of their users isn’t stigmatizing adults, but rather protecting our children.”
Last month, President Emmanuel Macron reaffirmed his support for mandatory age verification, not only for adult websites but also for teenagers registering on social media platforms, citing the contribution of online networks to suffering and mental health issues among young people.
France, Spain, and Greece are reportedly pushing for mandatory age verification on platforms like Meta’s Facebook and Elon Musk’s X, according to Bloomberg. These nations contend that the “lack of proper and widespread age-verification mechanisms” hinders the enforcement of age limits and intend to use the EU’s economic influence to pressure tech companies into implementing robust verification systems.
“`