Pornhub Blocks French Users in Protest of New Age Verification Laws

France's new age verification laws have sparked a clash between the French government and Pornhub, the adult website owned by the Canadian company, Aylo. On June 4th, 2025, Pornhub blocked access to its French users in protest of the regulations, which require strict age verification measures. "We've made the difficult decision to suspend access to our sites," stated Alex Kekesi, VP Brand and Community at Aylo, in a press release. The company contends that the regulations are ineffective and overly intrusive, arguing for device-level age verification instead. The French regulatory authority, ARCOM, has the power to block non-compliant websites without court intervention. The EU is also proposing similar, broader age verification rules for July 2025. The clash highlights the ongoing debate surrounding online content regulation and user privacy.