What just happened? MindGeek, the owner of adult platforms such as Pornhub, has blocked everyone in Utah from accessing its sites in protest of the state's age verification law that has just come into effect.
Utah has been fighting against online pornography for years. It called porn a public health crisis in 2016 and previously proposed that all smartphones and tablets in the state automatically block pornography. An age verification law was eventually passed in March, requiring users visiting adult platforms deemed "harmful to minors" to verify their age before being allowed access. Axios writes that any companies that don't comply with the law will be liable if they're sued over minors accessing their content.
Now that the law has gone into effect, MindGeek has responded by blocking anyone in Utah who tries to access Pornhub. Those with Utah IPs will see only a video of adult performer Cherie DeVille, a member of the Adult Performer Advocacy Committee, explaining the reason for the block.
"As you may know, your elected officials in Utah are requiring us to verify your age before allowing you access to our website," DeVille says. "While safety and compliance are at the forefront of our mission, giving your ID card every time you want to visit an adult platform is not the most effective solution for protecting our users, and in fact, will put children and your privacy at risk."
DeVille adds that "mandating age verification without proper enforcement" drives users to other sites with fewer safety measures in place.
MindGeek's belief is that the most effective solution for protecting children is to identify users by their devices and allow access to age-restricted material based on that identification. "Until a real solution is offered, we have made the difficult decision to completely disable access to our website in Utah," DeVille continued, before asking visitors to contact their representatives and demand device-based verification solutions.
Utah isn't the only state requiring adult sites to use age-verification systems. Louisiana passed a similar bill earlier this year, and many other states have done the same. Sen. Todd Weiler, R-Woods Cross, told FOX 13 News that as Pornhub was complying with similar laws elsewhere, he expects that MindGeek will eventually remove the block and comply with the Utah bill as well.
Utah's new laws also extend to social media companies. From March 1 next year, those under 18 will require a parent's permission before opening an account on social media platforms. Companies must also give parents access to their kids' posts, messages, and responses; are barred "from using a design or feature that causes a minor to have an addiction to the company's social media platform;" and must block under-18s from using social media between 10:30 pm and 6:30 am.