The
Texas Attorney General
has filed a
lawsuit
against
Pornhub
's parent company,
Aylo Global Entertainment
, for allegedly violating a state law requiring
age verification
on
adult websites
.
In the lawsuit filed on Tuesday in Travis County District Court, Attorney General Ken Paxton alleges that Pornhub and other adult sites owned by
Aylo
are in violation of Texas House Bill 1181, which was passed last year.
The law requires websites that host
pornography
to implement reasonable age verification measures, such as requiring users to submit a driver's licence or other government ID proving they are 18 or older.
The lawsuit alleges that Aylo has failed to put proper age verification methods in place on its websites, making it too easy for minors to access explicit content.
Aylo owns a number of major pornography websites, including Pornhub,
RedTube
, and YouPorn.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton stated in a press release, "Texas has a right to protect its children from the detrimental effects of pornographic content. I look forward to holding any company accountable that violates our age verification laws intended to prevent minors from being exposed to harmful, obscene material on the internet."
If found to be in violation of the law, Aylo could face fines of up to $10,000 per day as well as additional civil penalties. The lawsuit asks the court to impose an injunction forcing the company to implement age verification and seeks up to $1.6 million in damages.
Last year, a federal judge initially deemed the Texas law unconstitutional, but that decision was later overturned on appeal, allowing the attorney general to enforce it.
Texas is just one of several states that have passed legislation mandating age verification for adult sites. Utah, Virginia, Mississippi, North Carolina, and others have implemented similar laws that the pornography industry has challenged.
Critics of age verification requirements argue that they violate free speech and privacy rights. There are also concerns about the effectiveness of age verification methods and the security of personal data submitted to access adult sites. However, supporters say that laws requiring age verification are necessary to prevent minors from accessing explicit and potentially harmful content online.
Some websites, such as Pornhub, have responded to the new Texas law by blocking access entirely in certain states. It is not yet clear whether Aylo will make modifications to comply with the law or simply limit access to its services in Texas if the court rules against it.
English (US) ·