Pornhub Leaves Texas High and Dry After Court Mandates User Age Checks

Pornhub, and other adult entertainment websites in its network shut down site services in the state of Texas after an appeals court said it must comply with a state law requiring users to verify their age, the Houston Chronicle reports. On Thursday, porn sites owned by Aylo Global Entertainment, including Pornhub, YouPorn, and Brazzers, greeted users in Texas with a long message calling the decision “ineffective, haphazard, and dangerous,” blocking them from entering the site. Last year, the Texas state legislature passed HB1181, requiring companies distributing “sexual material harmful to minors” to ensure that their users are over 18 years of age. A non-profit trade association in the adult entertainment industry challenged the law, and was granted an injunction. In February, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sought an appeal for the injunction, to force compliance with the new law. On March 7, the injunction was partially vacated, and the court ruled that the sites would need to verify its users’ ages. “Until the real solution is offered, we have made the difficult decision to completely disable access to our website in Texas. In doing so, we are complying with the law, as we always do,” the message to users said. The message did not say how long the sites intend to remain inaccessible to users in the Lone Star state.