Pornhub now demands their Louisiana users confirm their age through the LA Wallet app
At the start of the year, a new law went into effect in the state of Louisiana. If a website’s pornographic content is more than 33.3%, the publisher is required by law to verify the user’s age. Recently, Pornhub requires users to verify their age with the LA Wallet app. In accordance with the law, it is a digital wallet for Louisiana driver’s licenses. This week, Louisianans who hoped to view pornographic content online for New Year’s Eve were met with a request for proof of age. According to Motherboard, other prominent adult sites have not yet adopted the practice of checking users’ ages. In light of the new law, however, pornographic websites may be held liable for damages caused by underage users.
“Due to advances in technology, the universal availability of the internet, and limited age verification requirements, minors are exposed to pornography earlier in life,” the legislation says. “Pornography contributes to the hypersexualization of teens and prepubescent children and may lead to low self-esteem, body image disorders, an increase in problematic sexual activity at younger ages, and an increased desire among adolescents to engage in risky sexual behavior.”
The author of the legislation is Republican Louisiana State Representative Laurie Schlegel. Rep. Ralph Abraham (R-Louisiana) pushed for a bill that would have banned transgender students from participating in school sports based on their gender identity. Before becoming president in 2021, Schlegel worked as a therapist specializing in sex addiction.
Hello from the surveillance state of Louisiana. People in Louisiana have to use their drivers license to go to pornhub. This is truly wild. Under his eye. https://t.co/uji6Jo3Tde pic.twitter.com/pVKEeVcCGw
— Public Defendering (@fodderyfodder) January 2, 2023
Sex worker, professor, and UCLA researcher Olivia Snow is worried about the verification process. As part of a “sex panic,” she says, the verifications are being conducted. Snow believes that some porn users may still be concerned about data breaches despite the fact that new legislation prohibits age-verification websites from keeping users’ personal information.
Age verification is required on porn sites like Pornhub and OnlyFans
Sites like PornHub and OnlyFans are fighting back against sexually abusive content aimed at children. They insist that performers prove their age and identity (CSAM). If customers are required to prove their age in order to access pornographic material, they may look elsewhere online, where the content has not been subjected to the same level of scrutiny. Laws such as SESTA/FOSTA and Louisiana’s Act 440 are promoted as helping to ensure the safety of children. This legislation, however, makes it more difficult for sex workers to do their jobs in a secure manner.
In some cases, these regulations have also made it more difficult for law enforcement to combat sex trafficking. Backpage.com, which was used by sex workers as a customer-vetting resource. In 2018, the Department of Justice seized it. It has gotten more difficult for Indiana police to arrest sex trafficking ringleaders, police reports say. There were problems brought on by the site’s closure, as it had been used for illegal activities such as money laundering and sex trafficking.