PORNHUB has started restricting UK users from accessing content on its website today over concerns about child safety.
The world’s most popular porn website has stopped accepting new account registrations from those located in the UK.
So unless you already have an account with your age verified you’re essentially banned from using the service.
Pornhub‘s owner Aylo has applied the strict new changes to its other websites including YouPorn and Redtube too.
The move comes as bosses claim the Online Safety Act designed to protect children from finding inappropriate content hasn’t worked.
Rules were changed in July last year, forcing websites that allow access to pornography to introduce strong age checks such as asking for ID or a selfie.
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Sites that fail to introduce such checks could face fines of up to £18million or 10 percent of qualifying worldwide revenue, whichever is greater.
And if that doesn’t work, they could be banned from view by internet users in the UK entirely.
But Aylo said it will “no longer participate in the failed system” arguing that it has “diverted traffic to darker, unregulated corners of the internet”.
“Our sites, which host legal and regulated porn, will no longer be available in the UK to new users, but thousands of irresponsible porn sites will still be easy to access,” explained Alex Kekesi, the company’s vice president of brand and community.
“Despite the clear intent of the law to restrict minors’ access to adult content, and commitment to enforcement, after six months of implementation, our experience strongly suggests that the OSA has failed to achieve that objective.
“We cannot continue to operate within a system that, in our view, fails to deliver on its promise of child safety, and has had the opposite impact.
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“We believe this framework in practice has diverted traffic to darker, unregulated corners of the internet, and has also jeopardised the privacy and personal data of UK citizens.”
Recent research suggests that nearly half of adult pornography users have accessed sites without age checks since new verification rules came into force.
A poll by the Lucy Faithfull Foundation (LFF) found that since the law changed in July, 45 per cent of people who use pornography had gone on websites without age checks to avoid putting in their personal information.
“Based on our data and experience, effective enforcement is not possible, circumvention is rampant, privacy is compromised, and new, unregulated sites quickly fill any gaps left by responsible operators,” Ms Kekesi added.
“In other jurisdictions, Aylo has often been one of the only major platforms to comply, only to see traffic diverted to even larger, non-compliant sites.
“Although larger operators are compliant, we believe the OSA has created an ecosystem where the vast majority of sites with age-inappropriate content are left unchecked.
“Users are turning to sites that do not have uploader verification measures and do not moderate content, leading to an increased risk of exposure to dangerous or illegal content.”
With the latest changes now in place, the Pornhub website only shows non explicit videos on its site.
There’s also a notice which reads: “Pornhub is not currently accepting new account registrations in your region.”
As of January 27, 68 of the biggest 100 pornography services in the UK have deployed age checks.
Ofcom, which is responsible for ensuring websites are complying, said: “Porn services have a choice between using age checks to protect users as required under the Act, or to block access to their sites in the UK.
“There’s nothing to stop technology providers from developing solutions which work at the device level, and we would urge the industry to get on with that if they can evidence it is highly effective.
“Our job is to enforce the rules as they stand. We’ve put in place age assurance rules that are flexible and proportionate, and we have seen widespread adoption.
“We’ve taken strong and swift action against non-compliance, launching investigations into more than 80 porn sites and fining a porn provider £1 million, with more to come.
“We will continue our dialogue with Aylo to understand this change to its position.
“Any changes to the law around device-based age assurance is a matter for government.”
