The list of US states where Pornhub is blocking access is about to grow by one as a new law concerning adult websites takes effect in January.
Pornhub, a major platform for adult content worldwide, has already restricted access in 12 US states. Users in these states trying to visit the site encounter a message stating: “403 – This state is not whitelisted.”
This might appear as an unusual choice for such a widely-used platform, but Pornhub’s action is a response to age verification mandates that have been enacted in several US states.
As of now (December 18), the site is already inaccessible in the following states:
Starting January 1, Florida residents will also be blocked from accessing the website due to a bill signed by Governor Ron DeSantis in March.
This legislation mandates that adult sites implement anonymous and standard age verification processes, and those failing to comply could be fined up to $50,000 per violation by the state Department of Legal Affairs.
At a press conference, DeSantis commented: “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.”
Nonetheless, Pornhub has raised concerns that such verification requirements jeopardize user privacy.
The site now displays a warning for Florida users stating: “Did you know that your government wants you to give your driver’s license before you can access PORNHUB?
“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, Aylo, the owner of Pornhub, expressed support for age verification but emphasized that such laws must ensure user safety and privacy while effectively preventing minors from accessing adult content.
“Unfortunately, the way many jurisdictions worldwide, including Florida, have chosen to implement age verification is ineffective, haphazard, and dangerous,” a spokesperson said.