Pornhub has disabled its site in Texas to object to a state law that requires the company to verify the age of users to prevent minors from accessing the site.

Texas residents who visit the site are met with a message from the company that criticizes the state’s elected officials who are requiring them to track the age of users.

The company said the newly passed law impinges on “the rights of adults to access protected speech” and fails to pass strict scrutiny by “employing the least effective and yet also most restrictive means of accomplishing Texas’s stated purpose of allegedly protecting minors.”

  • Got_Bent@lemmy.world
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    8 months ago

    Just tried it. Yep, no access. Just a long message lambasting Texas politicians.

    I tried all the other regular sites, no issues.

    They’re gonna need an industry wide cooperation to successfully combat this.

    • AquaTofana@lemmy.world
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      8 months ago

      I tried it, got the block message, and then tried it with a Kansas City VPN just to see if it would work. It did.

      I really liked the message though. Texas legislators are dumb af if they don’t think that this is going to push people to use websites without ID requirements and less stringent rules on content creation/safety.

      I mean, they were dumb af before this, but they’re extra dumb now too.

      • ipkpjersi@lemmy.ml
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        8 months ago

        The thing is, there’s hundreds, thousands, possibly millions of porn sites out there. There is no way any state is going to be able to block them all. Even if, by some miracle, they did manage to block them all - it won’t matter, people will still just use a VPN anyway.

        • jaybone@lemmy.world
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          8 months ago

          I wonder if they do it by ISP.

          I always wonder how they do these types of blocks. Sure you can get a city from an IP record, mine reports me as several counties away.

  • Lucidlethargy@sh.itjust.works
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    8 months ago

    Texas loves to use words like “freedom” and “liberty”, and make them synonomus with their values. Then they pass legislation to force women to give birth, and they ban porn.

    Like… “y’all” really are fucking stupid down there (at least the conservatives.)

  • werefreeatlast@lemmy.world
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    8 months ago

    Hey Texas dudes! Jesus make u mad? Christ took your Christina? No problem!

    From the makers of the famous amous Chinese finger trap, here come the Cocklopper2000!

    Just place the mildly used or completely unused cock into the cock hole and press the button 🔘!

    No more useless cock hanging out like extra skin to toast in the hot Texan sun! The aerodynamics are fantastic!

    The Cocklopper2000 comes in with different levels of blade sharpness and motor speeds! From the gentle lop and clop of the brushed 1/2hp DC motor and stainless 304 blades to the neodymium 0 cog out runner brushless motor of the XL model with upgraded boron carbide blades. While the lower cost model is gentle enough to only need mild sedation, the XL model does it so quick and painless you’d swear it’s still attached!

    All models come with 1 year paid google drive with 3 email addresses! And free disposal cooler box with free postage paid for automatic shipping to the cock store! Your only only source of cocks! Your donation goes directly to benefit trans woman and transgender female to male persons!

    • homura1650@lemm.ee
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      8 months ago

      Interestingly, according to the article, the biggest effect is in 15-19 year olds; which are the people the law is intended to bar from accessing porn. Granted, I have no idea how good the underlying study that article is based off of is.

      • skozzii@lemmy.ca
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        8 months ago

        The ones that most definetely know how to use a vpn…

        It’s gonna be the boomer politicians that are big mad and can’t figure out a work around.

        • aidan@lemmy.world
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          8 months ago

          The ones that most definetely know how to use a vpn…

          There are plenty of 15-19 year olds who are good with computers, but also plenty who aren’t

          • Jakeroxs@sh.itjust.works
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            8 months ago

            The goal post for what “being good at computers” has moved quite a bit, stuff that was distinctly only known to the nerds and geeks is now common knowledge to the younger generations, just from what I’ve seen of my younger relatives compared to my geekyness growing up lol.

              • Jakeroxs@sh.itjust.works
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                8 months ago

                VPNs was a good one, I have definitely heard from my younger siblings/cousins they’re familiar or use them at school.

                I remember being a select few at my school who knew how to use proxies to get to game sites on school PCS, I even made a little free hosted website for linking to proxies/unblocked game sites for my friends. (that eventually got blocked too, funny enough certain link shortners still worked for a bit since they seemingly blocked by Url)

                I’ll try to think of other examples, just something I had noticed talking to younger family members.

                I think it’s moreso just that it’s easier to do then it used to be.

    • Makhno@lemmy.world
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      8 months ago

      If porn is the only thing stopping someone from raping another person, then their problems are a whole lot deeper than porn

  • Fapper_McFapper@lemmy.world
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    8 months ago

    I sure hope all porn sites follow Porn Hub’s lead. Just block Texas from viewing porn. Then I hope all broadband and cable TV operators follow suit as well, can’t have transexual cock on VOD or PPV. Let’s see how quickly Texas falls back in line. It won’t happen, but I can dream.

      • jonne@infosec.pub
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        8 months ago

        Yep, I do agree with that part of the statement. The only porn they’ll have access to will be completely unregulated and a haven for revenge porn and CP.

        Pornhub themselves weren’t amazing on that front to begin with, but they made more of an effort than most to try and clean that up due to regulatory pressures.

        • Snot Flickerman@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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          8 months ago

          The kind of sites who won’t bother complying with Texas’ age verification law because they already hosted all kinds of illegal shit are just going to explode in popularity further entrenching a depraved and violent subset of sexual abusers.

          Anyway, I’m glad to see this sentiment echoed on Lemmy. Everywhere else it feels like people are thoughtlessly praising Pornhub and thinking this is a “big win.”

    • Syn_Attck@lemmy.today
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      8 months ago

      Yeah but this is Texas. One of the largest consumers of porn by state. Pornhub is the 6th most visited site in the US, just one spot behind Amazon. I’m sure at least some Texas politicians have decades old accounts accounts with all their favorites videos and probably paid access to creators, etc. Sure they won’t be giving up their account username and telling everyone why they’re doing it, but this gives them an excuse to call out the bullshit overreach and taking of frozen peaches. They can lie and say their constituents are the ones calling and demanding action. Actually a pretty smart move by Pornhub.

    • Billiam@lemmy.world
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      8 months ago

      Remember, one of the defining traits of right-wing political movements is the redefining of words. When a Conservative says “small government” what they really mean is “a government that can enforce our morals and values, but is incapable of enforcing rights, regulations, or equality.”