Porn Sites Take a Stand: Pornhub, Redtube, Youporn Ban France Over Age Verification Rules 🎉✋
French Porn Sites Engage in Self-Imposed Blockade - in Solidarity Protest - French Pornographic Websites to Enact Self-Imposed Blockade - Protest Action
France residents are about to face a temporary porn blockage starting Wednesday afternoon. That's because Pornhub, Redtube, and Youporn, under the umbrella of MindGeek, have decided to withhold their content in France in protest against new French regulations aimed at age verification. Instead of adult entertainment, users will see a statement explaining the new rules in France [📝 🇫🇷].
Kid's Play: Over 12% of French Porn Users are Minors 👦👧
Data from the French digital regulator Arcom in 2023 revealed a staggering statistic: 12% of all porn site users in France are minors, or around 2.3 million minors visiting porn sites every month. To boost youth protection, platforms are now required to implement stricter control mechanisms than merely clicking that you're over 18 [📝 🔒]. External sites will verify users' ages to maintain anonymity, ensuring the porn site only receives confirmation of the user's majority without knowing their identity. The external service provider will know the user's identity but not the reason for the age check [📝 🕵️].
know-it-all Minister vs. MindGeek 💥🧒
MindGeek claims to support age control but criticizes the new regulation as "symbolic, pointless, and harmful to privacy" [📝 🌲]. Alex Kekesi, a representative from MindGeek, suggests age verification should happen on the devices used, not the visited websites. On the other hand, France's junior digital minister, Clara Chappaz, scoffs at MindGeek's stance, labeling it a "lie" and a "hostage-taking" attempt to avoid complying with the law [📝 ☝️].
"It's unacceptable to lie and take hostages to bypass the law," Chappaz tweeted in response to MindGeek's announcement. "This is about protecting children. Other sites have already complied with the new rules, and if MindGeek prefers to leave France rather than apply our law, they are free to do so" [📝 🚫].
- France
- Redtube
- Age Verification
- Youth Protection
France's junior digital minister, Clara Chappaz, expressed her dissatisfaction with Redtube's decision to leave France due to the implementation of stricter age verification rules, stating, "Other sites have already complied with the new rules, and if Redtube prefers to depart rather than honor our law, they are free to do so." On social media, she further emphasized the importance of youth protection, asserting, "This is about protecting children."
