FACT CHECK: Are 13 U.S. States Specifically Blocking Pornhub?

A post on X claims that 13 U.S. states have blocked the adult entertainment website Pornhub from personal access.

Pornhub is now blocked in all of these states due to age verification laws. pic.twitter.com/2Tq3H39vfi

— non aesthetic things (@PicturesFoIder) June 26, 2024

Verdict: Misleading

Those states have passed laws regarding age verification on adult websites. The parent company that owns Pornhub voluntarily removed access for residents of those states.

Fact Check:

As part of a larger effort to block children’s access to harmful material, several states have enacted laws designed to block the creation of their own accounts, according to the Age Verification Provider’s Association. These laws will affect many different social media sites, however it is the adult entertainment industry that is receiving the most press about it.

A post on X shows a map of the states where adult website Pornhub is now blocked in, or will be in the future. It blames “age verification” laws for this. This is misleading, as none of these states have specifically blocked Pornhub or any adult website. Pornhub will be blocking access in those states voluntarily, via IP address.

Pornhub has already banned users in 13 states due to these verification laws, and renewed interest is happening now as Florida joins the list Jan. 1. Governor Ron DeSantis signed “House Bill 3” into law, which will require users of all adult websites to verify their ages via identification before viewing material deemed explicit. Other states, such as Virginia and Texas, already have similar laws.

Despite not being specifically targeted, Pornhub has decided to block access in those states voluntarily, according to CBS News. While they claim they don’t want minors accessing their site, and that they support age verification laws in theory, they oppose the information security and free speech issues the laws create.

House Bill 3, also known as the “Online Protection for Minors” law, allows for a third-party, non-government organization or service to handle age verification. A similar law in Tennessee was blocked in December before it was to take effect, according to The Tennessean