Pornhub wants tech giants to implement device-based age verification
With the age of the internet being confirmed and the general anonymity of the internet, these are issues that almost everyone now faces, especially those who are politically disaffected. Sex workers have long dealt with issues such as online censorship and surveillance. One of the goals of Project 2025, MAGA’s playbook for Trump’s second term, has been a national porn ban through “backdoor” state laws.
The current increase in child protection laws around the world is causing a significant change in the way people interact with the internet, and is also affecting industries beyond porn, including gaming and social media. From December 10 in Australia, children under 16 will be removed from Facebook, Instagram and threads, in line with the government’s social media ban.
Ultimately, Stabile says that may be the case. In the US, “supporters of these bills fall largely into two groups: faith-based organizations that don’t believe adult content should be legal, and age-verification providers that benefit from a restricted Internet.” Faith-based organizations aim to destabilize the adult industry and discourage adults from using it, he says, while the latter strive to expand their market as much as possible, “even if that means getting in bed with right-wing censors.”
But the problem is that “even the well-intentioned lawmakers pushing these bills have little understanding of the Internet.” It’s much easier to go after political punching bags like Pornhub than Apple or Google. “But if you don’t address the reality of the Internet, if your rules are at odds with consumer behavior, you end up creating systems that fail.”
Adult industry insiders I spoke to in August explained that the biggest misconception about the industry is that it’s anti-self-regulating, which couldn’t be further from the truth. “Keeping minors off adult sites is a shared responsibility that requires a global solution,” says Kixey. “Every phone, tablet or computer should start out as a child-safe device. Only approved adults should unlock access to things like dating apps, gambling or adult content.” In 2022, Pornhub created a chatbot that asked people searching for child sexual abuse content to seek advice. The tool was introduced following a 2020 New York Times investigation that alleged the platform monetized videos that showed child abuse. Pornhub has since started publishing annual transparency reports and has tightened the process of verifying performers and uploading videos.
According to Politico, Google, Meta, OpenAI, Snap and Pinterest all supported the California bill. The law is currently limited to California, but Kixey believes it could serve as a model for other states.
“We obviously see a path forward here,” he says.
