Pornhub Blocks Access in Utah After State Passes New Age Verification Law

Pornhub Takes a Stand Against Utah’s Age-Verification Law

Utah’s new law requiring age verification for adult content has caused a stir in the industry, with Pornhub taking a bold stand against it. The popular pornography website has completely disabled access to its site for individuals located in the state, in response to the new legislation.

Users attempting to access the site are now greeted with a video message from adult entertainer and member of the Adult Performer Advocacy Committee, Cherie DeVille, explaining the situation. She argues that while safety and compliance are important, giving ID cards every time someone wants to visit an adult platform is not the most effective solution for protecting users and children.

Protecting Children and User Privacy

DeVille goes on to state that Pornhub places great emphasis on user safety, but believes the most effective way to protect children and adults using the site is to identify them via their devices, allowing them access to age-restricted materials and websites based on that identification. Until a real solution is offered, the site has made the difficult decision to completely disable access to its website in Utah.

DeVille urges users to contact their representatives and demand device-based verification solutions that make the internet safer while also respecting privacy.

Utah Bill Tackles Harmful Materials

The move by Pornhub comes after Utah Gov. Spencer Cox signed into law Senate Bill 287, also known as the “Online Pornography Viewing Age Requirements.” The bill requires commercial entities that provide pornography or other materials harmful to minors to verify users’ ages through “reasonable age-verification methods” before they can access such material.

• Methods include digitized information cards or third-party age-verification services
• Commercial entities can also use any commercially reasonable method that relies on public or private transactional data to confirm the individual’s identity
• Entities that knowingly and intentionally publish or distribute a substantial portion of material that is harmful to minors online without performing reasonable age verification methods may be held liable under the law

The law defines harmful material as “material that is harmful to minors, including material that (i) the average adult person, applying contemporary community standards, would find that, taken as a whole, appeals to the prurient interest; (ii) depicts or describes sexual conduct in a patently offensive way; and (iii) lacks serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value for minors.”