Coverage dossier

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Age verification

SEXTECHGUIDE has covered age verification as a live policy battleground since 2016, from the UK's Digital Economy Act debacle through to the current wave of US state laws and the EU's 'porn passport' disaster. The through-line is consistent: regulators keep proposing schemes that create surveillance infrastructure and privacy risk without meaningfully keeping minors away from porn, while the people who pay the highest price are adult creators, privacy-conscious users, and anyone who'd rather not hand their passport to a MindGeek-owned verification service. Ten years in, the pattern hasn't changed much.

Latest development

Aylo’s Utah lawsuit could have huge implications for VPN porn workarounds

Aylo has sued Utah over a law that holds porn sites responsible for age-verifying users who access their platforms via VPNs from outside the state, arguing it amounts to an unconstitutional global mandate. The…

Analysis

Dated ledger

Earlier developments

May 2026

April 2026

March 2026

February 2026

January 2026

  1. Analysis

    Safe, legal, and still a risk: How the DSA is policing pleasure

    A detailed explainer on how the EU's Digital Services Act applies to adult platforms, breaking down the tiered compliance framework from intermediaries to Very Large Online Platforms (VLOPs) and the contentious Article 28 minor…

December 2025

November 2025

October 2025

September 2025

  1. News

    Australia will require age checks for online porn from March 2026

    Australia's eSafety Commissioner has mandated age verification for online pornography, effective March 9, 2026, requiring platforms to implement measures such as facial scans, ID checks, or AI-powered systems. The regulation carries fines of up…

August 2025

July 2025

June 2025

  1. News

    Ofcom targets ‘smaller’ porn sites in UK age check crackdown

    Ofcom has launched investigations into two niche porn sites, FTVGirls and FTVMilfs, alongside seven file-sharing services and 4chan, signaling that the UK regulator's Online Safety Act enforcement extends beyond major platforms. The investigations send…

May 2025

April 2025

March 2025

October 2024

July 2024

June 2024

May 2024

March 2024

January 2024

December 2023

November 2023

September 2023

July 2023

May 2023

  1. News

    Utah Pornhub block leaves fans scrambling for VPNs

    Pornhub blocked access to its content in Utah following the state's new age verification law (S.B. 287), triggering a spike in VPN searches. Porn performer Cherie DeVille, featured in Pornhub's explanatory block page, argues…

April 2023

  1. News

    UK Prime Minister defends controversial Online Safety Bill

    UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has defended the Online Safety Bill, which aims to restrict harmful online content including explicit material accessible to minors. The bill has drawn criticism from free speech advocates and…

February 2023

January 2023

November 2022

  1. News

    Nudity and ‘sexual themes’ return to Tumblr (but still no porn)

    Tumblr has partially reversed its 2018 ban on sexually explicit content, now permitting nudity and 'sexual themes' while still prohibiting explicit pornography. The change follows a 2021 announcement about content filtering tools. Automattic CEO…

October 2022

September 2022

March 2022

February 2022

January 2022

  1. Guide

    Sextech decoded: A deep dive into consent

    This comprehensive guide explores the intersection of consent and sextech, covering smart sex toys, dating apps, the digital realm, VR, and consent-focused apps. It examines how technology can both enable and undermine consent, drawing…

December 2021

  1. News

    Germany moves closer to banning Pornhub and YouPorn

    A German court ruled that authorities in North Rhine-Westphalia are justified in banning Pornhub, YouPorn, and MyDirtyHobby for failing to comply with age verification requirements, rejecting MindGeek's argument that German law didn't apply to…

October 2021

September 2021

April 2021

March 2021

  1. Analysis

    What is SISEA? And why is it bad for sex workers and porn sites?

    This article explains the Stop Internet Sexual Exploitation Act (SISEA), a 2020 US Senate bill targeting non-consensual pornographic content online. It outlines the bill's requirements for porn sites, including identity verification, consent forms, and…

February 2021

October 2020

October 2019

September 2019

June 2019

  1. News

    UK’s farcical porn block plan delayed yet again

    The UK government's mandatory age verification scheme for pornographic websites has been delayed indefinitely after failing to notify the European Commission as legally required. This marks at least the third major delay to the…

  2. News

    6 more countries mull age verification laws

    AgeGo, a Barcelona-based age verification system, reports that six countries — Spain, Ireland, Poland, France, Sweden, and South Africa — are considering adopting age verification laws similar to the UK's 'porn block.' The article…

May 2019

April 2019

  1. News

    UK ‘porn block’ to start July 15

    The UK's DCMS announced that the government's age verification 'porn block' will go into effect on July 15, 2019, requiring all pornographic websites serving UK users to implement BBFC-accredited age verification systems. The article…

March 2019

January 2019

December 2018

March 2018

  1. News

    UK’s age verification porn plans delayed until end of 2018

    The UK government quietly delayed its mandatory age verification system for pornographic websites until the end of 2018, burying the announcement in unrelated news. The delay stems from unresolved concerns over privacy, data security,…

July 2017

January 2017

  1. News

    UN expert says UK’s porn plans may break human rights law

    UN Special Rapporteur David Kaye has criticized the UK's Digital Economy Bill, warning that its age verification requirements and content restrictions may violate international human rights law. The bill would create a government-authorized database…

December 2016

November 2016

October 2016

July 2016