• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Pornhub suspends site in Texas due to state’s age-verification law

Moneal

Member
People in this topic really don't understand this law? If you go into a store that sells porn and buy it you have to verify your age. The same is true to get in a strip club. The law just says the same thing applies to online porn.
 

0neAnd0nly

Member
This is silly and won't stop a thing, in fact it will lead people to much riskier sites with far worse material unfortunately. The ship has already sailed. I also don't like the thought of more tracking online. This opens a flood gate to other sites being flagged with material deemed not 'kid safe' as we all know the govt will gladly use the 'think of the children' to their advantage.

You feel the same when a movie theater cards a teenager for a rated R or will deny them entry? What about rated M games?

Age restriction is not a new concept, and there absolutely needs to be tighter control on minors accessing internet crap.

Just my .02, of course.
 

Hudo

Member
Porn, weed, and gambling yes. Alcohol is fine tho; we know that doesn’t harm families.
I've been to Austin once, it was pretty nice and seemed like a normal city with generally normal people to me. But I've also been told since that Austin is not representative of Texas. So I dunno, man.
 

TGO

Hype Train conductor. Works harder than it steams.
Hahaha. Pornhub!? Amateurs, I tell ya….cant remember the last time I even thought of going there.

I love the “allegedly” protecting minors. Cmon now…regardless of how you feel about this, to argue that it doesnt protect minors is ludicrous. I love my porn as much as the next guy, but if I had access to as much as there is today when I was a teenager, I’d be even more fucked up than I already am.
Having access to it isn't a problem, being addicted to it is.
And I think the likes of Instagram and now Onlyfans is a bigger problem with this generation as it created more young female porn creators in the last 5 years then even the Adult Entertainment Industry has in 10.
 

SoloCamo

Member
You feel the same when a movie theater cards a teenager for a rated R or will deny them entry? What about rated M games?

Age restriction is not a new concept, and there absolutely needs to be tighter control on minors accessing internet crap.

Just my .02, of course.

You let me know when a VPN will bypass a person physically standing in front of you asking for your ID (which even then fake ID's are nothing new) let alone preventing you from going to a place that doesn't care to check.... I mean I thought I was old, but some of you really don't seem to realize how easily accessible pretty much anything is on the net... Education is the answer here.
 
Last edited:

Moneal

Member
You let me know when a VPN will bypass a person physically standing in front of you asking for your ID (which even then fake ID's are nothing new) let alone preventing you from going to a place that doesn't care to check.... I mean I thought I was old, but some of you really don't seem to realize how easily accessible pretty much anything is on the net... Education is the answer here.
So just because its easy to access and bypass we should just ignore it right? I mean you even mention ways to bypass physical checks. Guess we just change the law to let kids into strip clubs too right since fake IDs are a thing.
 

Nobody_Important

“Aww, it’s so...average,” she said to him in a cold brick of passion
So just because its easy to access and bypass we should just ignore it right? I mean you even mention ways to bypass physical checks. Guess we just change the law to let kids into strip clubs too right since fake IDs are a thing.
This is such a dumb comparison. Letting horny teenagers wank off to porn is not the same as letting them in to sexually charged environments like a strip club. This is not new. Teenagers getting their rocks off to sexual material has been going on for centuries. Trying to pretend that the modern age has somehow corrupted the youth of today with its demonic pornography is fucking stupid. Before Pornhub there were other porn sites, before the internet there was playboy and Hustler, and before that there was any number of other ways for young people to get their hands on some porn of some kind.


The recent attempts at puritanism in the US is just embarrassing.
 

Moneal

Member
This is such a dumb comparison. Letting horny teenagers wank off to porn is not the same as letting them in to sexually charged environments like a strip club. This is not new. Teenagers getting their rocks off to sexual material has been going on for centuries. Trying to pretend that the modern age has somehow corrupted the youth of today with its demonic pornography is fucking stupid. Before Pornhub there were other porn sites, before the internet there was playboy and Hustler, and before that there was any number of other ways for young people to get their hands on some porn of some kind.


The recent attempts at puritanism in the US is just embarrassing.
You do know the law isn't about Pornhub right? Its sites allowing porn access to minors without any restriction. How did kids get access to playboy and hustler in the past. Right, an adult had to purchase it and there was a form of age verification, either by presenting it at the store it was bought from or by credit card or check if through the mail. I am not arguing that porn is destroying the youth. I am arguing that everywhere else where porn exists has age verification and the internet is the only one that doesn't this bill fixes that in Texas. yes there are ways around it, just as many in here mention there are ways around it in physical situations. Lets take strip clubs out. Are we going to allow teens into sex shops and buy what ever porn they want with no age verification? Its the similar argument with tax collection by online stores like 10 years ago. Online site should follow the same rules as everywhere else.
 

The Pleasure

Gold Member
giphy.gif
 
since I'm single, what I'm about to say probably doesn't really mean jack, but I always feel this is on the parents to "control" and not the government or companies. the parents bought the computers and cellphones for the kids, it's on them to implement porn restrictions and stuff, be it software or whatever else. have regular conversations with the children about porn and how to deal with it. because let's face it, we all had watch/read porn before we turned legal. those age restrictions on websites and books had never stop anyone who actually wants to find these things. parents teaching the kids about things properly and not stigmatizing it would be far more useful then just banning them outright.
It's impossible for a parent to prevent kids from accessing porn unless they're hovering 24/7 or living like the Amish. Computers, phones, tvs, consoles, and more all have screens and internet access. Not to mention their friends and all their electronics.

If a bar, dispensary, or even a movie theater wasn't checking ids then we wouldn't primarily blame parents. If the porn sites aren't going to self regulate then the government is going to step in. Those sites had no reason not to let kids access because getting some kid hooked could be a lifetime of revenue. The porn industry is huge and if they're going to throw a fit because they're being held to the same standards as others selling age-restricted goods, they can get bent. Ideally they'd be criminally liable if they gave porn access to a minor, just like any of us would be.
 
Last edited:

Mr Reasonable

Completely Unreasonable
If the porn sites aren't going to self regulate then the government is going to step in.
Here in the UK, there's been rumblings about this for years, I suspect that there'll be lots of people looking at what will be a failure in Texas on a technical level, but also the public's reaction.

Conspiracy theory hat on:

I'm not saying that accessing pornography in childhood isn't a problem - I think it is. But,
I'm not convinced that these sorts of moves aren't on some level about but trying to surveil or gain access to private data en masse, if not today then at some point in the future. Maybe they can convince some people of the need for the government to be more and more involved with Internet data and making sure everyone logs in to every site they visit. Etc
 
Last edited:

0neAnd0nly

Member
You let me know when a VPN will bypass a person physically standing in front of you asking for your ID (which even then fake ID's are nothing new) let alone preventing you from going to a place that doesn't care to check.... I mean I thought I was old, but some of you really don't seem to realize how easily accessible pretty much anything is on the net... Education is the answer here.

So because there are ways to skirt something, we shouldn’t try to enforce it at all?

That’s a HECK of a slippery slope to roll down, but go on.
 

Reizo Ryuu

Gold Member
People in this topic really don't understand this law? If you go into a store that sells porn and buy it you have to verify your age. The same is true to get in a strip club. The law just says the same thing applies to online porn.
And how would this verification work exactly? Nobody stores any information if you walk into a store, are you ok with what is essentially a webshop requesting and storing your sensitive documents?
There's a reason why that shit is illegal in the EU, only banks, employers, insurance and government are allowed to ask you to transmit an ID digitally here, everyone else can fuck off.
 

SoloCamo

Member
I'm not saying that accessing pornography in childhood isn't a problem - I think it is. But,
I'm not convinced that these sorts of moves aren't on some level about but trying to surveil or gain access to private data en masse, if not today then at some point in the future. Maybe they can convince some people of the need for the government to be more and more involved with Internet data and making sure everyone logs in to every site they visit. Etc

This is exactly what people don't seem to understand. The ramifications of this are extensive and it's not about protecting the kids from porn. People keep ignoring the ever tightening noose around our necks regarding having online privacy.

So because there are ways to skirt something, we shouldn’t try to enforce it at all?

That’s a HECK of a slippery slope to roll down, but go on.

The other end of this is giving the green light to a more invasive government. Your call but I assure you one thing, once they get a taste they don't stop coming for more.

And how would this verification work exactly? Nobody stores any information if you walk into a store, are you ok with what is essentially a webshop requesting and storing your sensitive documents?
There's a reason why that shit is illegal in the EU, only banks, employers, insurance and government are allowed to ask you to transmit an ID digitally here, everyone else can fuck off.

Exactly. Besides, that stored information will be breached, it's inevitable.
 
Last edited:
You do know the law isn't about Pornhub right? Its sites allowing porn access to minors without any restriction. How did kids get access to playboy and hustler in the past. Right, an adult had to purchase it and there was a form of age verification, either by presenting it at the store it was bought from or by credit card or check if through the mail. I am not arguing that porn is destroying the youth. I am arguing that everywhere else where porn exists has age verification and the internet is the only one that doesn't this bill fixes that in Texas. yes there are ways around it, just as many in here mention there are ways around it in physical situations. Lets take strip clubs out. Are we going to allow teens into sex shops and buy what ever porn they want with no age verification? Its the similar argument with tax collection by online stores like 10 years ago. Online site should follow the same rules as everywhere else.

A strip club is something you do in person, so it has different rules and vulnerabilities than the internet.

Until strip clubs keep a record of your ID and are forced to report it to the state one day, or can be hacked and all your data gets stolen then your point is moot. The strip club would actually be safer for every single person.
 
Last edited:
I think we should ban junk food then. Taking away a little sugar won’t hurt anyone.
I really want the government to stop litigating social morality.
Porn wasn't banned. Pornhub is just throwing a hissy fit since the government is attempting to stop them from distributing to minors. Just like it'd be illegal for any of us to give porn to kids.
 

Moneal

Member
A strip club is something you do in person, so it has different rules and vulnerabilities than the internet.

Until strip clubs keep a record of your ID and are forced to report it to the state one day, or can be hacked and all your data gets stolen then your point is moot. The strip club would actually be safer for every single person.
You do know the law actually requires sites to not keep the records right? It even has a punishment if they do.

b) A commercial entity that performs the age verification

required by Subsection (a) or a third party that performs the age

verification required by Subsection (a) may not retain any

identifying information of the individual.

(2) $10,000 per instance when the entity retains
identifying information in violation of Section 129B.002(b)
 

Eiknarf

Banned
Porn wasn't banned. Pornhub is just throwing a hissy fit since the government is attempting to stop them from distributing to minors. Just like it'd be illegal for any of us to give porn to kids.

Kinda wild that I couldn't even buy a Playboy Magazine when I was 19 years old, and that wasn't even porn!!!! They were still images that only showed breast, areola and nip! Not even "south mouth"!!

Today they're beyond still images. There's full fledge, high def, multi-angle video with a 1" critic focus of penetration, complete with cream-pie, facials and bukkake!
 

SoloCamo

Member
Kinda wild that I couldn't even buy a Playboy Magazine when I was 19 years old, and that wasn't even porn!!!! They were still images that only showed breast, areola and nip! Not even "south mouth"!!

Today they're beyond still images. There's full fledge, high def, multi-angle video with a 1" critic focus of penetration, complete with cream-pie, facials and bukkake!

Sounds like you've watched plenty and came out fine(ish).
 

Eiknarf

Banned
Sounds like you've watched plenty and came out fine(ish).
Not when I was 14

I literally just wrote and told you that this type of porn did not exist when I was 14.

The brain isnt fully developed until around age 26

This type of porn at that young an age has negative effects
 
Last edited:

Maiden Voyage

Gold™ Member
Porn wasn't banned. Pornhub is just throwing a hissy fit since the government is attempting to stop them from distributing to minors. Just like it'd be illegal for any of us to give porn to kids.
I don't want or need the government to force me to submit my ID to a website to see naked women. Going after porn sites isn't going to stop anything. This is a slippery slope to most websites requiring you to verify who you are to enter or engage.

There are worse problems out there that the government could be effective toward, like taking care of their vets, paying the teachers a livable wage, better training for public facing employees.
 
Last edited:

SoloCamo

Member
I don't want or need the government to force me to submit my ID to a website to see naked women. Going after porn sites isn't going to stop anything. This is a slippery slope to most websites requiring you to verify who you are to enter or engage.

There are worse problems out there that the government could be effective toward, like taking care of their vets, paying the teachers a livable wage, better training for public facing employees.

This is why it's always about your 'safety' or 'protecting the kids', it's an easy way to coerce people to accept a clear transition into expecting less privacy for the greater good. It's a story as old as time and yet people continue to be naive about it. Look at the big transition on multiple platforms to "verified accounts". Of course it's optional now but more and more things will start requiring that. Multiple govt members have already been very vocal about how being anonymous online is a "threat" to the country. You'd have to be blind to not see where this is going... They just chip away at it because if you make it too obvious the majority of people will actually notice .
 
Last edited:

Maiden Voyage

Gold™ Member
This is why it's always about your 'safety' or 'protecting the kids', it's an easy way to coerce people to accept a clear transition into expecting less privacy for the greater good. It's a story as old as time and yet people continue to be naive about it. Look at the big transition on multiple platforms to "verified accounts". Of course it's optional now but more and more things will start requiring that. Multiple govt members have already been very vocal about how being anonymous online is a "threat" to the country. You'd have to be blind to not see where this is going... They just chip away at it because if you make it too obvious the majority of people will actually notice .
I'll never understand why the first solution for so many is more government intervention. When I was a kid, pre-internet, I saw more porn then than I do now.
 
I don't want or need the government to force me to submit my ID to a website to see naked women. Going after porn sites isn't going to stop anything. This is a slippery slope to most websites requiring you to verify who you are to enter or engage.

There are worse problems out there that the government could be effective toward, like taking care of their vets, paying the teachers a livable wage, better training for public facing employees.
They're just forcing porn sites to adhere to the same standards we use for every other age-restricted goods. I've had to give plenty of info for (low stakes) gambling online over the years so it's not like they're breaking new ground. Plus all the times I've entered bars or sat at a table in a restaurant that was served booze even if I wasn't drinking.

If bars, liquor stores, and dispensaries everywhere were just selling to kids would you just shrug and say "there's worse problems" and be upset if the government stepped in? Not like those things you mention were a priority before there were any talks of age verification for online porn or couldn't be solved concurrently if they cared.
 

Maiden Voyage

Gold™ Member
They're just forcing porn sites to adhere to the same standards we use for every other age-restricted goods. I've had to give plenty of info for (low stakes) gambling online over the years so it's not like they're breaking new ground. Plus all the times I've entered bars or sat at a table in a restaurant that was served booze even if I wasn't drinking.

If bars, liquor stores, and dispensaries everywhere were just selling to kids would you just shrug and say "there's worse problems" and be upset if the government stepped in? Not like those things you mention were a priority before there were any talks of age verification for online porn or couldn't be solved concurrently if they cared.
I don’t think seeing naked people is on the same level as someone gambling their money away or getting intoxicated.

My ID verification can’t get hacked when I enter a bar or buy an adult magazine.

If parents are that concerned, install content blockers or limit urls.

”So if ever a man should ask you for your business or your name,
Tell him to go and fuck himself, tell his friends to do the same.
Because a man who'd trade his liberty for a safe and dreamless sleep
Doesn't deserve the both of them, and neither shall he keep.”
 
Last edited:
I don’t think seeing naked people is on the same level as someone gambling their money away or getting intoxicated.

My ID verification can’t get hacked when I enter a bar or buy an adult magazine.

If parents are that concerned, install content blockers or limit urls.

”So if ever a man should ask you for your business or your name,
Tell him to go and fuck himself, tell his friends to do the same.
Because a man who'd trade his liberty for a safe and dreamless sleep
Doesn't deserve the both of them, and neither shall he keep.”
They're all age restricted goods so they are on the same level. But just to make you happy, strip clubs also require id to enter. And porn is far worse than what you'd see in a strip club.
 

Moneal

Member
I don’t think seeing naked people is on the same level as someone gambling their money away or getting intoxicated.

My ID verification can’t get hacked when I enter a bar or buy an adult magazine.

If parents are that concerned, install content blockers or limit urls.

”So if ever a man should ask you for your business or your name,
Tell him to go and fuck himself, tell his friends to do the same.
Because a man who'd trade his liberty for a safe and dreamless sleep
Doesn't deserve the both of them, and neither shall he keep.”
what do you mean hacked? your credit card info can get stolen at physical stores. As I said earlier in this thread, the law requires them to not keep the data.
 

Maiden Voyage

Gold™ Member
Somehow this reminds of the mindset that lead the US FCC to completely butcher Hip hop into unlistenable trash for the radio edits.
Season 9 Episode 25 GIF by The Simpsons

Same faux moral outrage as heavy metal in the 80s, hip-hop in the 90s, Jack Thompson vs video games in the 00s, and so on. Freedom limiting solutions to problems that are already solved by parents who are actually engaged with their children. I will never understand why people want a government run nanny state so badly.
 

Toons

Member
People in this topic really don't understand this law? If you go into a store that sells porn and buy it you have to verify your age. The same is true to get in a strip club. The law just says the same thing applies to online porn.

Yea except the Joe schmoe you give your id to in the store csnt snd won't do anything with that and he can't keep it on file.

This is the internet so obviously that isnt the case.

This was a poorly thought out ruling that will accomplish little.
 

Moneal

Member
Yea except the Joe schmoe you give your id to in the store csnt snd won't do anything with that and he can't keep it on file.

This is the internet so obviously that isnt the case.

This was a poorly thought out ruling that will accomplish little.
This will be the third time I mentioned it in this thread, but the law in question prohibits the verification data being kept.

b) A commercial entity that performs the age verification

required by Subsection (a) or a third party that performs the age

verification required by Subsection (a) may not retain any

identifying information of the individual.


(2) $10,000 per instance when the entity retains
identifying information in violation of Section 129B.002(b)
 

Maiden Voyage

Gold™ Member
So we just have to trust them to not do it because there's a charge that would only materialize if you can manage to get concrete proof they kept your data?
Notice how nobody in favor of this seems to want to address the fact that this 'problem' already has a solution that's been working for decades.

They're using faux outrage as a trojan horse to instill their moral aggrandizing. First it's porn, then it's the next made up outrage, and on and on and on.
 
Last edited:
Top Bottom