Pornhub is urging tech giants to enact device-based age verification
In a significant move aimed at enhancing online safety for minors, Aylo, the parent company of popular adult websites like Pornhub, Brazzers, Redtube, and YouPorn, has reached out to major tech companies — Apple, Google, and Microsoft — advocating for device-based age verification systems. In letters sent this week, Aylo’s chief legal officer, Anthony Penhale, expressed strong support for initiatives designed to protect minors from accessing inappropriate content online. However, he criticized existing site-based age verification methods, stating they have not succeeded in their primary goal of safeguarding young users from adult material.
Penhale’s letter highlights the shortcomings of current age assurance laws, emphasizing that site-based verification approaches are “fundamentally flawed and counterproductive.” He argues that these methods often fail to prevent minors from accessing age-restricted content, which is a significant concern for both parents and regulators. Instead, Aylo proposes a more effective solution: device-based authentication. This method would allow a user’s age to be verified through their smartphone or tablet, with the age information then shared securely with adult websites via an application programming interface (API). This streamlined approach could potentially enhance the accuracy and reliability of age verification while ensuring a smoother user experience.
The push for device-based age verification comes amid growing scrutiny of how adult content is accessed online, especially by minors. As lawmakers and advocacy groups increasingly call for stricter regulations to protect children from inappropriate material, Aylo’s proactive stance could pave the way for a more robust system that balances user privacy with the need for safety. By leveraging technology to verify age at the device level, Aylo aims to create a safer online environment, not just for its platforms, but for the internet as a whole. This initiative reflects a broader trend in the tech industry, where companies are being urged to take greater responsibility for the content accessible through their services.
In letters sent to
Apple
,
Google
, and
Microsoft
this week, Pornhub’s parent company urged the tech giants to support device-based
age verification
in their app stores and across their operating systems, WIRED has learned.
“Based on our real-world experience with existing age assurance laws, we strongly support the initiative to protect minors online,” reads the letter sent by Anthony Penhale, chief legal officer for Aylo, which owns Pornhub, Brazzers, Redtube, and YouPorn. “However, we have found site-based age assurance approaches to be fundamentally flawed and counterproductive.”
The letter adds that site-based age verification methods have “failed to achieve their primary objective: protecting minors from accessing age-inappropriate material online.” Aylo says device-based authentication is a better solution for this issue because once a viewer’s age is determined via phone or tablet, their age signal can be shared over its application programming interface (API) with adult sites.
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