Pornhub users must now submit identification to access the site in Louisiana. New legislation that risks scaring away Internet users even if the platform ensures that their data will not be collected.
In France as elsewhere, pornographic sites are singled out because of their ease of access for minors. In our region, the Council of State recently rejected Pornhub’s appeal against Arcom. As a reminder, the digital policeman seeks to block platforms if they do not put in place an age verification solution.
If Pornhub is struggling against justice in France, the site has however had to comply with legislation in Louisiana. A recently passed law in the US state requires age verification for any website containing 33.3% or more pornographic content. Suffice to say that Pornhub totally falls into this category.
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Pornhub now requires ID in Louisiana
Now, porn sites verify the age of visitors through an app called LA Wallet. This requires the user to provide ID or a driver’s license. “Louisiana law now requires us to implement a process for verifying the age of users who connect to our site from Louisiana”can we in particular read when we try to access Pornhub from the State.
To reassure users, Pornhub clarifies that it does not collect any data during this process. Which one is “performed by reputable service providers specializing in online age verification of users”, underlines the site. Even if the data is theoretically not kept, many Internet users risk turning back, reluctant to provide an official document to consume porn.
Especially since the latter can also opt for workarounds in order to access porn sites requiring an identity document. They have the option of using a VPN or changing the DNS.
