Pornhub to Restrict UK Access Amid Online Safety Act Concerns
Pornhub announced it would restrict access to its website for users in the United Kingdom starting next week, citing concerns over the impact of the country's Online Safety Act (OSA), according to BBC Technology. From February 2nd, only individuals with pre-existing Pornhub accounts would be able to access the site's content.
Aylo, Pornhub's parent company, stated that the OSA's age verification requirements had "not achieved its goal of protecting minors" and instead "diverted traffic to darker, unregulated corners of the internet," BBC Technology reported. The company claimed that traffic to the website had already fallen by 77% since the law change was implemented in October.
The Online Safety Act aimed to introduce tougher age checks for explicit websites. Ofcom, the UK's communications regulator, stated that the stricter age verification measures were fulfilling their intended purpose.
This decision comes as the UK government continues to grapple with the complexities of regulating online content and ensuring user safety. The long-term effects of Pornhub's decision and the Online Safety Act on internet usage in the UK remain to be seen.
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