Pornhub is urging tech giants to enact device-based age verification
In a significant move towards enhancing online safety for minors, Aylo, the parent company of Pornhub, has reached out to major tech players—Apple, Google, and Microsoft—urging them to implement device-based age verification systems in their app stores and operating systems. The request comes amidst ongoing concerns about minors accessing adult content online, a challenge that has prompted various legislative efforts aimed at improving age assurance methods. Anthony Penhale, Aylo’s chief legal officer, articulated the company’s stance in a letter, emphasizing the inadequacies of current site-based age verification methods. He stated that these existing measures have not effectively prevented minors from accessing inappropriate material, thereby failing to meet their intended purpose.
Aylo argues that device-based authentication offers a more robust solution to the age verification dilemma. This method would involve determining a user’s age through their smartphone or tablet, with the age information then being securely shared with adult websites via an application programming interface (API). This approach is designed to streamline the verification process and enhance the protection of minors online. For instance, if a user’s age is confirmed through their device, that verification could seamlessly allow or restrict access to adult content without requiring repetitive and potentially flawed site-based checks. By advocating for this shift, Aylo aims to not only comply with existing age assurance laws but also to foster a safer online environment for younger audiences.
The push for device-based age verification reflects a broader trend in the tech industry, where companies are increasingly scrutinizing their roles in protecting vulnerable users from harmful content. With growing legislative pressure and public demand for stricter controls, the collaboration between adult content providers and tech giants could pave the way for more effective solutions. As discussions around digital safety continue to evolve, the outcome of Aylo’s appeal may set a precedent for how age verification is approached in the future, potentially influencing policies that govern not just adult websites, but the entire digital landscape.
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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