On January 1, 2025, an age verification system will be introduced in Florida to check the age of users who access sites with adult materials. A filter that will be applied to different types of platforms, such as betting or pornography. Pornhub has already clarified that in countries where such filters are introduced its position will always remain the same: to close completely.
Net of twists and turns, from January 1st the Pornhub platform should block his entire site in Florida. If it seems to you that you have already read news like this, you are not wrong. Over the past year, Pornhub has begun blocking its site in several areas of the United States always for the same reason: the introduction of a system age verification. The same that could also be introduced by AgCom in Italy. In short, as Florida Politcs explains, from January 1st an age verification system will be introduced according to which users who want to access the site will have to enter some personal data. Systems can vary, but usually it involves entering codes that relate to your digital identity. The equivalent of our Spid.
These systems they do not record the user’s identity but they only extrapolate the age, in order to verify that they have exceeded the minimum age for access content of a pornographic nature. A similar dynamic has already happened in other states, such as Louisiana. And it could also return to Italy, given that in March 2024 AgCom started working on a very similar system for age verification. A plan also confirmed to Fanpage.it by the AgCom commissioner Massimiliano Capitanio.
Pornhub’s response: “This makes the internet more dangerous”
Pornhub right now is a managed brand Ayloa group that has several pornography platforms within it. Ownership from 2023 will belong to the fund Ethical Capital Partners. As explained by its founder Solomon Friedman in an interview with Fanpage.it, his position on the topic of age verification is very clear. According to the giant, Pornhub is among the most visited sites in the world, introducing an age verification system on every portal drains the general public towards less regulated internet spaces: “In Louisiana in the first 24 hours after its introduction we recorded an 80% drop in traffic. It is difficult to believe that these people have simply decided to give up pornography.”
Piracy Shield makes a mistake again and obscures an IP: it mistakes it for a site that broadcasts Serie A matches
And where do users who no longer access Pornhub go? First of all the block It’s not just about this platform but all those where there is a majority presence of adult content, which also applies to betting sites. On the other hand, however, there are platforms where these activities are not even traceable, starting from Telegram.
Currently Pornhub, and other adult sites, use a self-certification system. A variation of the classic initial question: “Are you over 18?”. The block, of course, can be easily circumvented. Firedman proposes another solution: “It is a technology that already exists today, advantageous from various points of view. Simply check the user’s age at the base, i.e. directly on the device they use. You don’t need to ask for it to access every site.”
What’s happening in Italy: AgCom’s proposal
The introduction of a age verification system in Italy it is not political fiction. On the contrary. Last October AgCom approved a scheme that defines exactly how the system to be implemented on adult sites will be built. Pornhub also sent a message in recent months letter to Italian politics. At the moment, however, there is still no date for the introduction of an age verification system in Italy.
