According to Ars Technica, Pornhub’s parent company Aylo sent letters this week to Apple, Google, and Microsoft urging them to support device-based age verification across their app stores and operating systems. The letters from Aylo chief legal officer Anthony Penhale argue that site-based age verification methods have “failed to achieve their primary objective” of protecting minors. This push comes as 25 US states have passed various ID verification laws requiring users to upload personal documentation before accessing adult content. The platform experienced devastating consequences from compliance, including an 80% traffic drop in Louisiana after implementing verification and nearly 80% viewership loss in the UK following the Online Safety Act. Aylo claims device-based authentication through phone or tablet APIs would be more effective than current approaches.
A Desperate Move
Here’s the thing: when you lose 80% of your traffic in multiple markets, you get desperate. Pornhub isn’t suddenly concerned about child safety – they’re hemorrhaging users and revenue. The current patchwork of state laws creates a compliance nightmare, and users clearly hate uploading IDs to third-party services just to watch porn. Who can blame them? Would you want your driver’s license floating around various verification services?
privacy-paradox”>The Privacy Paradox
So Pornhub wants your phone to handle age verification instead. Basically, they’re saying “trust Apple and Google with your age data, not us.” But is that really better? We’re talking about tech companies that already know way too much about us. Now they’d know exactly when and where you’re accessing adult content. That’s a privacy nightmare waiting to happen.
Tech Giants’ Dilemma
Apple, Google, and Microsoft now face an interesting choice. Do they become the porn gatekeepers? Implementing device-level age verification means they’d essentially be building infrastructure specifically for adult content access. That’s a political and PR minefield. But the alternative is watching platforms like Pornhub get legislated out of existence state by state. It’s a no-win situation for everyone involved.
The Bigger Picture
Look, this isn’t just about porn. The same verification technology could easily expand to social media, gaming, even news sites. Once the infrastructure exists, lawmakers will want to use it everywhere. We’re potentially looking at a future where your phone becomes your digital ID for everything online. That’s both convenient and terrifying. The question is whether we trust these companies with that much power over our digital lives.
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