Is the End Near for Porn on the Web? Age Verification Battles Heat Up in France and Germany
Online Age Verification Debate: Identifying Winners in the Fight for Adult Content Regulation on the Web - Age restriction battles in internet pornography: Which side prevails?
By Rune Weichert* ~ 5 Min
If you've been looking for a little distraction on popular adult content sites like Pornhub, Redtube, or Youporn, you might find yourself coming up short, especially in France. This is thanks to Aylo, the company that owns these platforms, halting access for a week in response to new regulations that demand age verification. A simple click to confirm you're over 18 just isn't enough anymore.
The Age Verification Crackdown
- France: The French government has made it mandatory for operators of internet porn sites to verify their users' ages to stop minors from accessing adult content. Unlike the old click-through age confirmations, these new rules call for stricter measures, such as credit card or official ID checks.
- Legal Framework: The French government passed the SREN law in 2023, which mandates these age verification mechanisms. The media regulator Arcom has the authority to block sites or hand out fines if websites fail to comply. Europe-wide, the Digital Services Act (DSA) is investigating major platforms for ineffective age verification. According to investigations, mere click confirmations are inadequate for shielding minors from adult content.
- Expanding Oversight: The French government may soon classify social media platforms that host adult content, such as X (formerly Twitter), Bluesky, Reddit, under the category of porn sites. These platforms too, will then be required to implement stringent age checks.
Aylo’s Reaction and Marc Jan Eumann’s Role
- Aylo's Protest: Aylo, the parent company of Pornhub, YouPorn, and RedTube, has suspended access to its platforms in France as a protest against the age verification laws. Aylo argues that the French measures are overly intrusive and potentially risk user privacy.
- Challenges and Concerns: Aylo's stance reflects broader concerns within the industry about the difficulties and invasiveness of effective age verification. Collecting sensitive data, such as IDs or credit card details, raises privacy issues and operational burdens, potentially limiting user access and reducing platform revenue.
- Official Talks: Marc Jan Eumann, a German media authority figure, is likely engaged in discussions about implementing similar regulations in Germany. In keeping with European objectives, secure and privacy-conscious age verification mechanisms are being worked on, with a white-labelled app due by summer 2025.
In summary, stricter age verification requirements are being implemented in France and Germany to safeguard minors from adult content, as part of broader efforts to enforce child protection online. Companies like Aylo are facing privacy and operational challenges due to these requirements. Figures like Marc Jan Eumann are involved in solutions to implement age verification processes that maintain user privacy. The adult online content industry is expected to evolve in response to changing legal landscapes across Europe. [1][2][3][5]
In France, social-media platforms that host adult content, such as X, Bluesky, and Reddit, may soon be required to implement stringent age verification like porn sites due to expanding oversight. Meanwhile, German media authority figure Marc Jan Eumann is likely discussing implementing similar regulations, focusing on secure and privacy-conscious age verification mechanisms.
