FOX13, SALT LAKE CITY — Pornhub, one of the largest adult content websites on the internet, has blocked Utahns from viewing the site in an apparent protest of a new law forcing stricter age-verification measures.
Website visitors from Utah started noticing the block on Monday morning.
At first, Pornhub posted “403 | This state is not whitelisted.” 403 is a computer code for a forbidden site. Later in the day, the site was changed to a lengthy message to users notifying them of why they were blocked.
The site’s message read:
“As you may know, your elected officials in Utah are requiring us to verify your age before allowing you access to our website. 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.”
Pornhub insisted it had robust trust and safety measures to prevent children from accessing its adult content, and the measures the state of Utah was requiring had no proper enforcement:
“We believe that the best and most effective solution for protecting children and adults alike is to identify users by their device and allow access to age-restricted materials and websites 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.”
The site’s message urged viewers to contact their elected lawmakers to demand “solutions that make the internet safer while also respecting your privacy.”
Pornhub is protesting Senate Bill 287, which unanimously passed the legislature this year. It requires adult content websites to use age-verification systems …
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