The porn giant is in full swing. Since yesterday, the Pornhub and Youporn sites have been accessible again in France. This reopening follows the Paris administrative court's suspension of the decree imposing strict age verification for users on pornographic platforms located in the European Union. A decision that has reignited a major legal and political clash between the porn industry, French authorities, and advocates for the protection of minors.
A controversial suspension
We were talking about it a few hours ago. The suspended decree, which came into effect in early 2025, required European pornographic sites to implement robust age control systems, under penalty of sanctions that could include blocking or delisting by Arcom. This obligation, stemming from the SREN law of May 2024, aimed to stem the massive access of minors to online pornography.
But the administrative court, seized by the company Hammy Media (owner of Xhamster), ruled in summary proceedings that the order raised a “serious doubt” as to its compatibility with European law, in particular on the freedom to provide services and the protection of personal data. As a result, the verification obligation is suspended until a judgment on the merits, allowing the reopening of the sites concerned.
The government counterattacks
The French government, through the Minister for Digital Affairs, Clara Chappaz, immediately announced an appeal to the Council of State, hoping to reinstate the age verification obligation as quickly as possible. This legal battle is part of a series of disputes that have been going on for several years between public authorities, child protection associations, and X-rated platforms, the latter multiplying appeals to avoid obligations deemed intrusive or technically unsuitable.
Pornhub rejoices
The Aylo group, owner of Pornhub, Youporn, and Redtube, had chosen to make its sites inaccessible in France from June 3, 2025, denouncing a regulation deemed “dangerous for privacy” and difficult to apply. Despite the implementation of a French technical framework, developed by Arcom and validated by the CNIL, on the principle of double anonymity, Aylo advocates for age verification carried out at the level of device operating systems, in order to avoid the repeated collection of sensitive data and the risks of circumvention by VPN.
On its sites, Aylo does not hide its victory. The “Are you over 18” pop-up is back, and the porn giant has issued a public press release, calling on authorities to understand that “adult content exists on hundreds of thousands of websites, not just the 17 designated by the ministerial decree of February 26, 2025.”
A European debate
France is not alone in this approach: other European countries, such as the United Kingdom and Germany, also impose restrictions on access to X-rated sites for minors. At the EU level, the European Commission has opened an investigation into several platforms suspected of not taking sufficient measures to protect minors, and is working to harmonize practices.
Beyond the purely technical issue, the debate highlights major issues: the protection of minors from early exposure to pornography, the preservation of the privacy of adult Internet users, and the responsibility of platforms in regulating sensitive content. With seven million daily visitors in France claimed by the Aylo group, the outcome of this standoff will have major consequences for the digital ecosystem and society as a whole. While awaiting the final decision of the Council of State, the sites Pornhub, Youporn, and Redtube are back in France.
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