Pornhub is urging tech giants to enact device-based age verification
In a significant push for enhanced online safety, Aylo, the parent company of Pornhub, has reached out to major tech giants Apple, Google, and Microsoft, advocating for device-based age verification systems in their app stores and operating systems. This initiative comes in light of ongoing concerns regarding minors accessing adult content online. Anthony Penhale, Aylo’s chief legal officer, emphasized the company’s commitment to protecting young users in a letter, stating that while they support the intent behind age assurance laws, existing site-based verification methods have proven ineffective. Penhale argues that these methods are flawed and often fail to prevent minors from accessing inappropriate material.
Aylo proposes a more robust solution: device-based age verification. This approach would involve determining a user’s age through their device—such as a smartphone or tablet—and then sharing this age information with adult websites via an application programming interface (API). By leveraging device capabilities, Aylo believes that this method can provide a more reliable safeguard against underage access to adult content. This call for change reflects a growing recognition within the adult entertainment industry of the need for better tools to protect minors, as well as a shift towards more innovative technological solutions.
The dialogue initiated by Aylo underscores a broader movement toward responsible digital practices and the importance of collaboration among tech companies to create safer online environments. As discussions around age verification continue to evolve, the industry may see a shift in how adult content is accessed, with potential implications for user privacy and data security. The effectiveness of these proposed device-based systems will depend on the willingness of major tech platforms to adopt and implement such measures, as well as the ongoing efforts to refine and enhance age verification technologies.
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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