Pornhub Blocks Kentucky Access Over New Age Verification Law

Aylo has blocked access to Pornhub in Kentucky, five days before the state’s new age verification law was scheduled to go into effect. This action follows similar restrictions implemented by Aylo in other states with comparable legislation.

Kentucky Implements Age Verification Law

Pornhub, an adult website, has barred access for Kentucky users following the enactment of a new state law. This law requires anyone attempting to log in to provide official identification proving they are 21 or older. House Bill 278, which primarily addresses protecting children from sexual predators and offenses, includes this stipulation for adult websites. The law officially went into effect on July 15.

Kentucky's new law mandates that pornography websites verify ages using a state or federally-issued ID, or through methods relying on "public or private transactional data." Aylo, Pornhub's parent company, has stated its support for user age verification but has expressed disagreement with the methods prescribed by the Kentucky legislature.

State Rep. Steve Rawlings, a Republican from Burlington, co-sponsored House Bill 278. The bill passed almost unanimously and was signed by Democratic Governor Andy Beshear. Rawlings noted that he was aware Pornhub had limited access in other states with restrictions but was surprised by the development in Kentucky. He cited "different things to protect children, like preserving the wholesomeness of kids and age-appropriate education" as motivations for the bill.

The law was passed by the Republican supermajority General Assembly and signed by Governor Beshear earlier in the year, following similar legislation in other states.

Aylo's Response and User Messaging

Aylo blocked access to Pornhub in Kentucky as of Wednesday, July 10, 2024. Kentuckians attempting to access Pornhub were met with a different video and an accompanying message explaining the new law. The message states, "As you may know, your elected officials have required us to verify your age before granting you access to our website." It continues, "Until a real solution is offered, we've made the difficult decision to completely disable access to our website in your region."

Aylo replaced its landing page for Kentucky IP addresses with a safe-for-work (SFW) video featuring Cherie DeVille. In the video, DeVille explains the reasons for the content restriction to Kentucky users. She states, "As you may know, your elected officials have required us to verify your age before allowing you access to our website." DeVille further explains Aylo's position: "While safety and compliance are at the forefront of our mission, giving your ID card every time you want to visit an adult platform is not the most effective solution for protecting our users, and in fact, will put children and your privacy at risk."

This action in Kentucky mirrors Aylo's previous responses in other states. Aylo had already implemented similar access restrictions in Texas, Arkansas, Mississippi, Montana, North Carolina, Virginia, and Utah due to age verification laws.

Legislative Context and Intent

Kentucky's situation is notable because two proposed stand-alone age verification laws, House Bill 241 from Rep. Shane Baker and Senate Bill 276 from Sen. Lindsey Tichenor, were expected to fail approval. However, Gex Williams, described as a veteran religious-right Republican, used his influence to attach the age verification language to an unrelated bill before the legislative recess.

Several Republican legislators and politicians across the country, including Kentucky's Williams, have explicitly stated that the intended goal of their age verification bills is to block access to Pornhub specifically. These individuals have celebrated this outcome in states where Aylo has curtailed its services.

Key Facts

• Aylo blocked access to Pornhub in Kentucky on Wednesday, July 10, 2024.
• Kentucky's new age verification law, House Bill 278, went into effect on July 15.
• The law requires adult websites to verify users are 21 or older using official ID or transactional data.
• Aylo replaced its Kentucky landing page with an SFW video featuring Cherie DeVille explaining the access restriction.
• Aylo had previously implemented similar access restrictions in Texas, Arkansas, Mississippi, Montana, North Carolina, Virginia, and Utah.
• Republican Gex Williams attached age verification language to an unrelated bill after stand-alone bills were expected to fail.