French Porn Sites Go Dark in Age-Verification Protest

French Porn Sites Blocked in Protest Against Age Verification France is facing a showdown over online pornography and age verification. Three major porn sites—Pornhub, YouPorn, and RedTube—will be inaccessible to French users starting Wednesday afternoon. This action is a direct protest from their parent company, Aylo, against a new law mandating age verification. Aylo argues the law is burdensome and poses data security risks. Alex Kekesi, Aylo's vice president, stated, “The mass age verification has never been tested at this scale, creating risks of hacking and data leaks; it's the opposite of what we're taught—not to provide our personal data online.” However, Clara Chappaz, France's Minister Delegate in charge of digital affairs, disagrees. She views age verification as crucial for child protection, stating, “Asking pornographic sites to verify the age of their users is not stigmatizing adults, but rather protecting our children. If Aylo prefers to leave France rather than apply our law, they are free to do so.” This isn't just a French issue. The European Commission plans to launch its own age verification app in July 2025, signaling a wider European effort to regulate online pornography and protect minors. The outcome of Aylo's protest and the implementation of the EU's age verification app will have significant implications for the future of online content regulation.