EU to Impose Age Verification on Major Porn Sites
The European Union has mandated that leading pornographic websites, including Pornhub, Xvideos, and Stripchat, implement age verification systems for their users within the region.
As these sites attract over 45 million monthly users in EU countries, they are obligated to increase efforts to safeguard minors under prevailing EU regulations.
A European Commission spokesperson highlighted that practical steps might encompass the deployment of age verification solutions to prevent underage access to explicit content. The upcoming European Digital Identity wallet was pinpointed as a potential method for age confirmation.
Categorized as Very Large Online Platforms (VLOPs) under the EU's Digital Services Act (DSA), these websites are subject to intensive oversight and must now adhere to content moderation requirements.
EU Digital Commissioner Margrethe Vestager emphasizes the focus on algorithms and processes leading to enhanced safety for minors in the digital space.
The BBC has sought responses from the affected sites.
The porn platforms are allocated four months to comply with several legal stipulations, including:
- Implementing measures against the circulation of unlawful content, including child exploitation material and deepfake pornography
- Introducing robust age verification systems
- Undergoing independent audits to ensure adherence to DSA standards
The EU Commission has the authority to enact fines of up to 6% of global turnover for non-compliance.
These companies represent the second group designated as VLOPs; an initial group of 19 tech firms, such as Facebook, Google, and YouTube, were previously informed about the DSA's applicability to them, effective as of August.
In a separate action, the EU has initiated enforcement proceedings against X (formerly known as Twitter) on suspicions of DSA violations related to disinformation.
A European Commission spokesperson highlighted that practical steps might encompass the deployment of age verification solutions to prevent underage access to explicit content. The upcoming European Digital Identity wallet was pinpointed as a potential method for age confirmation.
Categorized as Very Large Online Platforms (VLOPs) under the EU's Digital Services Act (DSA), these websites are subject to intensive oversight and must now adhere to content moderation requirements.
EU Digital Commissioner Margrethe Vestager emphasizes the focus on algorithms and processes leading to enhanced safety for minors in the digital space.
The BBC has sought responses from the affected sites.
The porn platforms are allocated four months to comply with several legal stipulations, including:
- Implementing measures against the circulation of unlawful content, including child exploitation material and deepfake pornography
- Introducing robust age verification systems
- Undergoing independent audits to ensure adherence to DSA standards
The EU Commission has the authority to enact fines of up to 6% of global turnover for non-compliance.
These companies represent the second group designated as VLOPs; an initial group of 19 tech firms, such as Facebook, Google, and YouTube, were previously informed about the DSA's applicability to them, effective as of August.
In a separate action, the EU has initiated enforcement proceedings against X (formerly known as Twitter) on suspicions of DSA violations related to disinformation.
