The largest adult entertainment platform in the world will cut off access for residents of Florida starting January 1, 2025.
As of January 1, residents of Florida will be unable to reach PornHub, the globe’s most visited adult site.
Officials from Aylo, the company that owns PornHub, have confirmed that they will block access for all individuals in the state due to laws regarding age restrictions.
An email from the corporation indicated that this restriction is a stance against conservative states that strive to shield children from harmful online influences.
“Regrettably, the approach many jurisdictions worldwide, including Florida, have chosen to enforce age verification is ineffective, erratic, and perilous,” stated an email from Aylo.
Florida enacted legislation requiring adult websites to verify users’ ages by mandating the submission of a photo ID for login. Sites that fail to comply face fines of up to $50,000. Consequently, PornHub is severing access to Florida on January 1.
Earlier this year, Texas, Idaho, Kansas, Louisiana, Kentucky, and Nebraska were barred, while Oklahoma was restricted last month.
“Any regulations that mandate hundreds of thousands of adult sites to gather large amounts of extremely sensitive personal data are jeopardizing user safety,” Aylo asserted. “Additionally, as experience has shown, if not properly enforced, users will merely turn to non-compliant sites or devise other means to circumvent these laws.”
State legislators are not swayed by Aylo’s objections.
“The choice to shut down rather than comply to ensure children do not access their site reveals their true target audience,” remarked state Rep. Chase Tramont, a Republican from Port Orange and supporter of the age verification legislation.
Rep. Fiona McFarland, a Republican from Sarasota, stated, “If a business cannot adhere to Florida laws, then they are not welcome to operate here.”