Ahead of new age verification law, Pornhub blocks access in Virginia

Virginians will no longer be able to access Pornhub, one of the internet’s most popular pornography websites, after the company disabled access to the site in the commonwealth in response to a new law going into effect this Saturday.

The law requires pornography websites to use age verification technology to more stringently determine whether a person is 18 or older to gain access to the site. The legislation passed the General Assembly on a nearly unanimous vote this March. Sen. Bill Stanley, R-Franklin, the patron of the bill, told the Mercury this March his legislation aims to address the “epidemic” of childhood exposure to pornography.

Under the law, websites must verify users’ age and identity but can select the specific method of verification, such as uploading copies of government-issued identification or other unspecified commercial technology.

However, Pornhub, in a message posted to its site Thursday, is arguing the law is not the most effective solution for protecting people visiting its site, and puts children and user privacy at risk.

“Until a real solution is offered, we have made the difficult decision to completely disable access to our website in Virginia,” wrote Pornhub.

Virginia now joins Utah, which has a similar age verification law, as states where Pornhub has blocked residents’ access to content due to legislation.