PULLING OUT

Pornhub Warns Florida Users of Imminent Ban

A new age verification law means the popular site will geoblock users rather than comply.

A new age verification law in Florida will block access to the popular porn site Pornhub beginning Jan. 1. “You will lose access to Pornhub in 13 days,” a popup on the site reads for Florida users. The statement adds that users will be required to upload a government ID to continue accessing the site. “We don’t want minors accessing our site and think preventing that from happening is a good thing,” the popup reads, “but putting everybody’s privacy at risk won’t achieve that.” The bill, signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis in March, requires websites featuring sexual content to have age verification mechanisms. Pornhub’s response to similar laws in other states is to geoblock users. State Rep. Chase Tremont, who sponsored the bill, told Florida Politics that Pornhub’s decision to shut down the site rather than comply “tells us exactly who their real target audience is.” The Free Speech Coalition filed a suit against the law this week, alleging that it places “substantial burden on adults who want to access legal sites without fear of surveillance.”