Pornhub, Stripchat, XVideos, and XNXX are under scrutiny by the EU for lacking appropriate measures to protect minors, including inadequate age verification methods, amid rising global regulatory concerns regarding online pornography.
EU Launches Investigation into Major Porn Sites for Child Safety Compliance
EU Launches Investigation into Major Porn Sites for Child Safety Compliance
The European Commission targets Pornhub and three other adult content platforms over potential violations of online child protection laws.
The European Commission has initiated an investigation into leading pornography websites, including Pornhub and Stripchat, concerning compliance with child safety regulations. The inquiry also encompasses XVideos and XNXX, as authorities indicate these platforms may not have established the necessary safeguards to protect minors from accessing adult content.
The Commission asserted that the reviewed sites show insufficient implementation of age verification tools, which are deemed essential for maintaining the rights of children online. In its statement, the Commission emphasized that "online platforms must ensure that the rights and best interests of children are central to the design and functioning of their services."
Initial findings revealed that the four pertinent platforms have not executed adequate measures to guarantee privacy, safety, and security for young users. An official from the Commission noted that the typical "click away" pop-ups asking visitors if they are above 18 years old are inadequate for effectively verifying age and preventing underage access.
This investigation emerges within a broader campaign to monitor and regulate online pornography, with various countries' authorities, including the UK's Ofcom, ramping up scrutiny on platforms that fail to enact age verification systems. Notably, in early May, Ofcom highlighted two separate investigations concerning porn sites lacking proper age checks.
Despite being the most visited adult website globally – ranking 19th across all sites – Pornhub is facing mounting regulatory challenges. The site has already restricted access in 16 U.S. states, such as Alabama and Texas, due to local laws mandating user age verification.
In a response blog earlier in January, Pornhub suggested that age verification should ideally occur on the user's device through operating systems, aiming for a simpler regulatory approach while enhancing user privacy.
Under the EU's Digital Services Act (DSA), the companies targeted in this probe have been classified as very large online platforms, which subjects them to stricter obligations concerning harmful and illegal content. If the investigations confirm violations of the DSA, they could face enforcement actions, including fines reaching up to 6% of their annual revenue.
Despite Stripchat being reclassified and no longer categorized as a VLOP, the EU will continue its investigation into the potential non-compliance of all implicated platforms. The EU has assured that smaller pornographic platforms, even those that do not meet the 45 million EU user threshold, must uphold the bloc's stringent digital content regulations to protect minors effectively.
Henna Virkkunen, the Commission's executive vice-president for tech sovereignty and security, reiterated the commitment to safeguarding young online users, stating, "Our priority is to protect minors and allow them to navigate safely online," signaling coordinated efforts to ensure compliance from both large and smaller platforms in the adult industry.
