Pornhub's ban in the United Kingdom won't just have negative implications for people visiting the site, but it'll also affect those populating it with videos, as one adult star explains why the restrictions will put 'us all in danger'.
Several of the world's most prominent nations have already implemented age verification checks on sites hosting adult content, with the United Kingdom among those leading the charge with the potential for further restrictions.
This means that those looking to access these sites – which aren't all necessarily pornographic by nature – will have to either enter a form of government-issued identification or have their face analyzed by AI in order to prove their age and view content on these sites.
Pornhub, undeniably the world's biggest adult website, has taken this a step further in a new change, as it has now completely blocked all web traffic from the UK unless you've already signed up to the site and verified your age.
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This move has proven to be controversial and has prompted many to seek out a virtual private network (VPN) in order to circumvent the location-based block, but one adult star has revealed the larger ramifications that this change will cause.
Speaking to the Daily Star, adult actress Ivy Maddox has claimed that the decision to block UK traffic outright will create a dangerous situation for both consumers and adult performers.
"Pornhub has so many measures to keep contributors safe," Maddox explains. "If consumers can't access safe sites, they will go elsewhere, just how the Nordic model will force full-service sex workers into more unsafe work conditions."
Pornhub wasn't always like this, as it was only in 2020 that the website changed its upload rules to allow only verified accounts to contribute to the site after it was accused of hosting videos taken without the consent of participants, as per Business Insider.
However, with these rules in place Pornhub remains one of the only 'safer' places for individuals to both upload and view content, and with Pornhub now blocked completely, Maddox argues that the alternatives are far more dangerous.
"If people aren't able to get onto Pornhub, they will go to other sites where, best case scenario, models' content has been leaked and they don't make any money from it, or worst case scenario, the person in the video is not aware that they are online, and did not consent to be filmed at all," Maddox illustrates.
"I want people to search me on Pornhub, not other tube sites, because I have control of what people see on Pornhub," she continued. "Everyone in the videos [on Pornhub] have to give consent either by filling out forms or being a registered performer and accepting a request.
"They remove content that doesn't have consent forms or co-performers listed, and they also provide monetization for models."
So, it won't just hurt the pockets of adult film stars by removing a key revenue stream, but it will also put them in danger through sites with less stringent (or non-existent) rules, with consumers viewing content that's potentially unethical at best and illegal at worst.