On June 4, the Aylo group decided to carry out its threat to block its three pornographic sites Pornhub, YouPorn, and RedTube in France, following a decision by the French government to require the sites to verify the age of visitors. Thus, since the beginning of the month, these three platforms have been inaccessible to French Internet users, but today the courts have made the announcement we were all waiting for.
Pornhub, YouPorn, RedTube do not want to bow to the French government
It all started with a French law from 2024 which required publishers of X-rated sites to verify the age of their visitors by proposing a more drastic system than simply pressing a button to certify that the Internet user is over 18 years old to view the content offered. The objective for the French government is to protect minors from pornographic images and videos. If the sites did not comply, they would be subject to sanctions imposed by Arcom and even risked being blocked and delisted.
By law, these sites are required to ask Internet users who wish to access X-rated content to send a photo to determine their age or provide an identity document using a double anonymity system to prove the visitor's majority without disclosing their identity.
For the Aylo group, which is located in Cyprus and claims 7 million visitors every day on Pornhub, YouPorn, and RedTube, complying with this legislation was out of the question. Considering that this obligation represented a threat to the security of Internet users' data, the publisher decided to block access to its three sites in France. Since June 4th, when we visited one of these sites, the slogan "Liberty has no off button" with an illustration of Liberty Leading the People, accompanied by a text explaining the reason for this decision, was displayed.
Good news for all porn fans in France
But that's it! The situation has just changed. The French courts have just suspended the decree that required pornographic platforms located in the European Union to carry out this age verification. The Paris Administrative Court made this decision to examine the compatibility of this decree with European law. As a result, the Aylo group's three sites are now accessible again in France. Before accessing them, a message is still displayed, and the publisher welcomes this court decision, which "offers an opportunity to reconsider more effective approaches." But all is not yet won, as the French government has announced that it will appeal to the Council of State. If the sites ever shut down again, there are always these 10 free sites as alternatives.
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