The world’s biggest online pornography websites have been notified their users in the European Union may soon be required to employ age verification technology.
Pornhub, Xvideos, and Stripchat face the heightened regulations, which will hit their collective monthly user base of at least 45 million in EU nations.
A spokesperson for the European Commission told the BBC: “A potential solution could be age verification tools to prevent minors from accessing pornographic content.”
They also suggested the upcoming European Digital Identity wallet would be used as a means for users to easily prove their age, adding: “Once it enters into force, it will offer solutions for all EU citizens, residents, and businesses in the EU.”
The three porn platforms have been categorised as Very Large Online Platforms (VLOPs) under the EU's Digital Services Act (DSA.)
This designation imposes increased legal obligations, including more stringent content moderation.
EU Digital Commissioner Margrethe Vestager expressed satisfaction with the VLOP designation, asserting it would “allow for higher scrutiny and accountability of their algorithms and processes”.
Emphasising the importance of creating a safer online environment for children, she added: “I have been very clear that creating a safer online environment for our children is an enforcement priority under the DSA.”
The sites must comply with various legal requirements within four months.
These include implementing extra measures to combat the dissemination of illegal content such as child sexual abuse material and deepfake pornography, as well as incorporating stronger protections against children accessing their platforms through age verification tools and undergoing external and independent audits of their risk assessments and compliance with DSA obligations.
The EU Commission holds the authority to ensure compliance and can impose fines of up to six per cent of the companies’ global turnover if they fail to meet the new, more rigorous rules.
This move follows a prior designation of 19 tech giants, including Facebook, Google, and YouTube, as VLOPs under the DSA in April.
X, formerly Twitter, faces the first enforcement proceedings under the legislation as it is suspected of violating its obligation to combat disinformation.
