Pornhub is blocking users in 2 more states over age verification rules
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- Pornhub is blocking users in North Carolina and Montana over new age verification laws.
- Users who try to visit the site in those states are now shown a video of Cherie DeVille.
- The move is part of an ongoing protest against the new laws concerning access to online porn.
Pornhub has blocked access in two more states over age verification laws.
Users who try to visit the site in North Carolina and Montana are now shown a video of performer Cherie DeVille and a message explaining why their states are now blocked, 404Media reported.
Two separate age verification laws were enacted on January 1 in South Carolina and Montana, both requiring users to confirm their age with third-party or "digitized" verification. The legislation also opens the door for individuals to sue if they believes sites were violating the new rules, per The Verge.
Pornhub's decision to block access in the two states is part of an ongoing protest against new laws governing porn access.
Similar pieces of legislation, which require users of pornographic sites to verify their age through government IDs, have been passed in Louisiana, Arkansas, Utah, and Mississippi. Pornhub has already cut access to its content for anyone with a Utah-based IP address over a similar law.
In the video message that greets users in the blocked states, DeVille says: "As you may know, your elected officials in your state are requiring us to verify your age before allowing you access to our website. While safety and compliance are at the forefront of our mission, giving your ID card every time you want to visit an adult platform is not the most effective solution for protecting our users and in fact, will put children and your privacy at risk."
"Until a real solution is offered, we have made the difficult decision to completely disable access to our website in your state," she continues, per 404Media.
Pornhub users spent an average of 10 minutes and 9 seconds per visit on the site last year, an increase of 15 seconds, per its annual review.
Users in Maryland spent the most time on Pornhub per visit at 11 minutes and 31 seconds, up 37 seconds from 2022. Meanwhile, Louisiana was bottom of the pack at 8 minutes and 21 seconds, down 71 seconds.
Representatives for Pornhub did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider, made outside normal working hours.