Age verification laws implemented all across the nation have blocked a number of popular websites hosting adult content, yet there remains one state that, despite these laws, still allows everyone to access Pornhub.
Despite being the 20th most popular website in the entire world according to data from Similarweb, adult video sharing website Pornhub has faced widespread content blocks from many of the globe's largest nations.
What started in just a few states across America quickly expanded to nations like France and the United Kingdom, and now almost all of the United States has some form of means to prohibit access.
While it might not be an outright block, as anyone who provides adequate age verification can continue to browse as they normally would, many are understandably reluctant to hand over that information and therefore have either stopped visiting the site or taken up other methods of getting around the block.
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Ohio is one of the many states that have implemented these laws, requiring sites that contain "any material or performance that is obscene or harmful to juveniles" to implement age verification blocks, and you'd imagine that platforms like Pornhub would be among the first to be impacted by these regulations.
However, not only does Pornhub remain unblocked for everyone in the state of Ohio, but it also hasn't implemented any form of age verification measures due to an unusual implementation of the state's laws, as reported by Mashable.
This all links to the interpretation of section 1349.10 of Ohio law, which illustrates that sites that act as a 'provider of an interactive computer service' aren't subject to rules that require the establishment of age verification methods, and Pornhub owner Aylo believes that it falls within this category.
Speaking to Mashable, the company explained: "As a provider of an 'interactive computer service' as defined under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, it is our understanding that we are not subject to the obligations under section 1349.10 of the Ohio Revised Code regarded mandated age verification for the 'interactive computer services' we provide, such as Pornhub."
The Communications Decency Act that Aylo highlights denotes that platforms aren't liable for content that users upload to it, and as a video hosting website Pornhub technically isn't in control or responsible for what is uploaded, as least in the eyes of this specific law.
That doesn't mean that Aylo isn't still supportive of age verification-related measures, although it maintains – as it did so in response to the implementation of similar laws in France – that device-level age blocks are far more effective when it comes to protecting children.