8 ms·

This is good news. Here's hoping for a federal law that makes age verification for pornographic content a requirement across all states. There's no reason why

This is good news. Here's hoping for a federal law that makes age verification for pornographic content a requirement across all states. There's no reason why these sites shouldn't shoulder their share of the responsibility to prevent children from accessing this content. It's really quite telling that Pornhub is removing itself from all markets where it's mandated to do this. Like all dealers of addictive and abusive substances, they want to hook their users in while young and impressionable.

tills13 2y ago
I'm so tired of this "won't someone think of the children" argument. What exactly do you propose that isn't wildly invasive and over-complicated?
- ideasp 2y ago
  There are loads of things that require age verification to prevent children accessing them. Why is porn apparently so special? Bit suspicious tbh.
  - EnergyAmy 2y ago
    What internet sites are required to do age verification beyond clicking a "Yes, I'm of age button"?
    - haunter 2y ago
      Pretty much anything involved with money needs not just age but in most cases identity verification too. Online banking, online gambling, online trading etc.
      - simoncion 2y ago
        > Pretty much anything involved with money needs not just age but in most cases identity verification too. "Pretty much anything", you say? I've never had to provide proof of age, let alone identity to purchase things over the Internet. A credit card and related address were all that was required. (What weirdo jurisdiction do you live in where you have to provide ID to order from `newegg.com` or your local instance of a big chain grocery store?) Hell, this was the case like fifteen, twenty years ago when I had subscriptions for several of the larger porn sites. "Give me your credit card number and assert that you're of legal age in your jurisdiction." were the sole pair of requirements. > Online banking... online trading This is a result of "anti-money-laundering" (aka "KYC") banking regulations and has nothing to do with being online transactions, rather than in-person. Long ago, it used to be that you could show up with a sufficiently large wad of cash and get a checking account opened, no question. > ...online gambling... Given the enormous set of online transactions I can do without providing proof of ID or age (like, suchas getting alcohol and tobacco delivered to my door) this is clearly the exceptional case, and the one that relevant politicos are using to act as a basis for the ongoing campaign of Erasing Sin from The Internet (and massively empowering authoritarians in the process). (The fact that the overlap between the politicos agitating for these regulations, and the politicos who are massively authoritarian is very, very large usually goes unremarked in the press.)
- ta1243 2y ago
  > won't someone think of the children Really not a good thing to be doing with porn
explodes 2y ago
There are a million other ways to access it. I don't know how introducing privacy invading practices could end up as a net good.
- doggero 2y ago
  If you feel that some pornography site would be invading your privacy by asking for age verification, then just don't use it. It really is that easy. No-one's forcing you to watch porn. It's not a necessary consumption. And if you consider the abuse that is rife within the pornography industry, then really it is better to not increase demand for this material by consuming it.
  - gambiting 2y ago
    >>And if you consider the abuse that is rife within the pornography industry, then really it is better to not increase demand for this material anyway. The abuse within Hollywood is legendary at this point, hope you never go to cinema to see any films, better not to increase demand for this stuff /s
- anon291 2y ago
  Like the privacy invading practice of requiring drug stores to check IDs before selling Playboys? I'm sorry, Playboy is way tamer than Pornhub. There's no reason PH should have less strict access requirements. There's no 'right' to access porn anonymously. For goodness' sake, most states monitor your alcohol consumption by tying purchases to your ID!
  - gambiting 2y ago
    >>Like the privacy invading practice of requiring drug stores to check IDs before selling Playboys? Wait, is that a thing in the US? Really? >> For goodness' sake, most states monitor your alcohol consumption by tying purchases to your ID! Again, that's a thing in the states? Wow, land of the free indeed.
    - 2y ago
EnergyAmy 2y ago
If you want to live in a dystopia, you're free to live somewhere else.
- doggero 2y ago
  Mandatory age verification for porn sites is dystopian now? I'm guessing you're some sort of pornography addict, if it means that much to you that you whip out this level of hyperbole.
  - deleted 2y ago
    [deleted]
  - HDThoreaun 2y ago
    The issue with your idea, other than the obvious free speech stuff, is that it is not possible to stop offshore sites from posting content without an age verification. All this would do is move everyone from onshore sites like pornhub to offshore sites that have zero regulation at all. You dont see how that is worse than the status quo?
    - ideasp 2y ago
      There are plenty of solutions for that already in place. Child sex abuse sites get blocked, for example. Even forums like Kiwi Farms have carriers blackholing them. No reason why this can't be similarly enforced for porn sites that skirt the age verification rules.
      - EnergyAmy 2y ago
        Interesting that this is being suggested in a thread where someone is throwing around accusations of hyperbole. At least you're not beating around the dystopic bush. I hope that you never find yourself on the receiving end of this process. You might think that you have nothing to hide, as many have throughout history before finding out that they were quite wrong.
mcphage 2y ago
> This is good news. Here's hoping for a federal law that makes age verification for pornographic content a requirement across all states. > It's really quite telling that Pornhub is removing itself from all markets where it's mandated to do this. I imagine that if it became a federal mandate, Pornhub would add some sort of gate that they felt met the legal requirements.

tills13 2y ago

I'm so tired of this "won't someone think of the children" argument. What exactly do you propose that isn't wildly invasive and over-complicated?

ideasp 2y ago
There are loads of things that require age verification to prevent children accessing them. Why is porn apparently so special? Bit suspicious tbh.
- EnergyAmy 2y ago
  What internet sites are required to do age verification beyond clicking a "Yes, I'm of age button"?
  - haunter 2y ago
    Pretty much anything involved with money needs not just age but in most cases identity verification too. Online banking, online gambling, online trading etc.
    - simoncion 2y ago
      > Pretty much anything involved with money needs not just age but in most cases identity verification too. "Pretty much anything", you say? I've never had to provide proof of age, let alone identity to purchase things over the Internet. A credit card and related address were all that was required. (What weirdo jurisdiction do you live in where you have to provide ID to order from `newegg.com` or your local instance of a big chain grocery store?) Hell, this was the case like fifteen, twenty years ago when I had subscriptions for several of the larger porn sites. "Give me your credit card number and assert that you're of legal age in your jurisdiction." were the sole pair of requirements. > Online banking... online trading This is a result of "anti-money-laundering" (aka "KYC") banking regulations and has nothing to do with being online transactions, rather than in-person. Long ago, it used to be that you could show up with a sufficiently large wad of cash and get a checking account opened, no question. > ...online gambling... Given the enormous set of online transactions I can do without providing proof of ID or age (like, suchas getting alcohol and tobacco delivered to my door) this is clearly the exceptional case, and the one that relevant politicos are using to act as a basis for the ongoing campaign of Erasing Sin from The Internet (and massively empowering authoritarians in the process). (The fact that the overlap between the politicos agitating for these regulations, and the politicos who are massively authoritarian is very, very large usually goes unremarked in the press.)
ta1243 2y ago
> won't someone think of the children Really not a good thing to be doing with porn

explodes 2y ago

There are a million other ways to access it. I don't know how introducing privacy invading practices could end up as a net good.

doggero 2y ago
If you feel that some pornography site would be invading your privacy by asking for age verification, then just don't use it. It really is that easy. No-one's forcing you to watch porn. It's not a necessary consumption. And if you consider the abuse that is rife within the pornography industry, then really it is better to not increase demand for this material by consuming it.
- gambiting 2y ago
  >>And if you consider the abuse that is rife within the pornography industry, then really it is better to not increase demand for this material anyway. The abuse within Hollywood is legendary at this point, hope you never go to cinema to see any films, better not to increase demand for this stuff /s
anon291 2y ago
Like the privacy invading practice of requiring drug stores to check IDs before selling Playboys? I'm sorry, Playboy is way tamer than Pornhub. There's no reason PH should have less strict access requirements. There's no 'right' to access porn anonymously. For goodness' sake, most states monitor your alcohol consumption by tying purchases to your ID!
- gambiting 2y ago
  >>Like the privacy invading practice of requiring drug stores to check IDs before selling Playboys? Wait, is that a thing in the US? Really? >> For goodness' sake, most states monitor your alcohol consumption by tying purchases to your ID! Again, that's a thing in the states? Wow, land of the free indeed.
  - 2y ago

EnergyAmy 2y ago

If you want to live in a dystopia, you're free to live somewhere else.

doggero 2y ago
Mandatory age verification for porn sites is dystopian now? I'm guessing you're some sort of pornography addict, if it means that much to you that you whip out this level of hyperbole.
- deleted 2y ago
  [deleted]
- HDThoreaun 2y ago
  The issue with your idea, other than the obvious free speech stuff, is that it is not possible to stop offshore sites from posting content without an age verification. All this would do is move everyone from onshore sites like pornhub to offshore sites that have zero regulation at all. You dont see how that is worse than the status quo?
  - ideasp 2y ago
    There are plenty of solutions for that already in place. Child sex abuse sites get blocked, for example. Even forums like Kiwi Farms have carriers blackholing them. No reason why this can't be similarly enforced for porn sites that skirt the age verification rules.
    - EnergyAmy 2y ago
      Interesting that this is being suggested in a thread where someone is throwing around accusations of hyperbole. At least you're not beating around the dystopic bush. I hope that you never find yourself on the receiving end of this process. You might think that you have nothing to hide, as many have throughout history before finding out that they were quite wrong.

mcphage 2y ago

> This is good news. Here's hoping for a federal law that makes age verification for pornographic content a requirement across all states. > It's really quite telling that Pornhub is removing itself from all markets where it's mandated to do this. I imagine that if it became a federal mandate, Pornhub would add some sort of gate that they felt met the legal requirements.