Three Big Porn Websites Must Verify User’s Age In EU

Three of the world’s biggest porn websites will now be forced to new rules in the European Union, including verifying the ages of users.

On Wednesday the European Commission adopted a second set of designation decisions under the Digital Services Act, designating three “Very Large Online Platforms (VLOPs)”, namely Pornhub, Stripchat and Xvideos.

The Commission said that the designation is the result of its investigations, concluding that the three services fulfill the threshold of 45 million average monthly users in the EU.

VLOP designation

The Digital Services Act came into force in August 2023, and is designed to keep people safe online.

Under the DSA, any tech platform or search engine that has more than 45 million users per month in the EU, is classified as a very large online platforms (VLOP) or very large online search engines (VLOSE).

The new rules that cover everything from social media moderation to targeted advertising and even counterfeit goods in e-commerce.

However the DSA rules also includes provisions to protect children by preventing them from accessing pornographic content.

“VLOPs must design their services, including their interfaces, recommender systems, and terms and conditions, to address and prevent risks to the well-being of children,” said the Commission. “Mitigating measures to protect the rights of the child, and prevent minors from accessing pornographic content online, including with age verification tools.”

Breaches of the DSA could lead to a fine of 6 percent of turnover and potentially suspension of the service within the European Union.

Pornhub, XVideos and Stripchat are the first porn sites to be targeted by the sweeping DSA rules.

In April 2023, the European Commission had named its first set of VLOPs, naming 19 so called ‘Gatekeeper’ firms that included the likes of Google Search, Amazon Store, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, Apple App Store and others.

Pornhub response

Pornhub told the Associated Press that it disputed its status as a very large online platform under the DSA, referring to a statement on its website saying it has 33 million average monthly users.

XVideos and Stripchat reportedly did not respond to requests for comment.

The European Union is not the only location to implement age verification for porn websites.

France, Germany and the UK, as well the US states of Utah and Texas have drafted laws requiring porn sites to verify a user is 18 or older.

Age verification methods could include face scanning, checking credit cards, or government-issued ID to confirm age, but all those systems have raised concerns about privacy and discrimination.