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 such as Pornhub, Brazzers, Redtube, and YouPorn, has reached out to major tech players including Apple, Google, and Microsoft. In letters sent this week, Aylo’s Chief Legal Officer, Anthony Penhale, advocated for the implementation of device-based age verification systems in app stores and operating systems. This initiative is part of a broader effort to address the challenges posed by existing age assurance laws and to better protect young users from accessing inappropriate content online.
Penhale’s correspondence highlighted the shortcomings of current site-based age verification methods, which he argues have proven ineffective in achieving their goal of safeguarding minors. He emphasized that these methods are often “fundamentally flawed and counterproductive.” By advocating for a device-based approach, Aylo proposes that age verification should occur at the device level—such as smartphones or tablets—allowing age information to be securely shared with adult websites through an application programming interface (API). This system aims to streamline the verification process, ensuring that once a user’s age is confirmed, they can access adult content without repeated checks, thus enhancing both user experience and safety.
The push for device-based age verification comes at a time when concerns about children’s exposure to explicit content online are escalating. With the rise of digital media consumption among younger audiences, effective measures to restrict access to inappropriate material have become increasingly critical. Aylo’s proposal reflects a growing recognition within the adult industry of the need to adopt more robust and reliable methods for age verification, aligning with ongoing legislative efforts to protect minors in the digital landscape. By collaborating with major tech companies, Aylo hopes to create a safer online environment that not only complies with legal standards but also prioritizes the well-being of young users.
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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