Pornhub has disabled its site for all Utah-based users following the implementation of a law that requires porn sites to verify users' ages.
Starting on May 1, Utah-based IP addresses will be barred from accessing the site's sexually explicit content, and will instead be greeted with a video of adult film star, Cherie DeVille, who explains why users cannot log on.
The message is in opposition to SB287, legislation recently signed into law by Republican Gov. Spencer Cox that puts porn sites that make their content available to minors at legal risk.
"As you may know, your elected officials in Utah are requiring us to verify your age before allowing you access to our website," DeVille says. "While safety and compliance are at the forefront of our mission, giving your ID card every time you want to visit an adult platform is not the most effective solution for protecting our users, and in fact, will put children and your privacy at risk."
She continued, "In addition, mandating age verification without proper enforcement gives platforms the opportunity to choose whether or not to comply. As we've seen in other states, this just drives traffic to sites with far fewer safety measures in place. Very few sites are able to compare to the robust Trust and Safety measures we currently have in place. To protect children and user privacy, any legislation must be enforced against all platforms offering adult content."
"The safety of our users is one of our biggest concerns. We believe that the best and most effective solution for protecting children and adults alike is to identify users by their device and allow access to age-restricted materials and websites based on that identification. Until a real solution is offered, we have made the difficult decision to completely disable access to our website in Utah."
"Please contact your representatives before it is too late and demand device-based verification solutions that make the internet safer while also respecting your privacy."
Pornhub's parent company, MindGeek, has blocked web browsers to all of its other adult film sites, as well.
CNN reported that Pornhub "declined to comment on its actions in Utah beyond the message it posted to users in the state, and it also declined to address the likelihood of attempts to circumvent the IP address filtering."
Dr. Nicole Prause, senior statistician at the University of California, Los Angeles, posted a tweet arguing that blocks "have never worked."
"Utah passes anti-porn bill, and searches for VPN (to continue to access porn by appearing to be accessing from a different state) jumps on Google."
Utah passes anti-porn bill, and searches for VPN (to continue to access porn by appearing to be accessing from a different state) jumps on Google.
— Dr. Nicole Prause (@NicoleRPrause) May 2, 2023
Blocks have never worked. pic.twitter.com/bj1hNyyyYe
