Online websites including adult content have begun restricting access to Australian users ahead of new laws requiring age verification coming into effect.
Aylo, the company behind many online sites including Pornhub, Tube8, RedTube, and YouPorn, has placed restrictions on access by Australian users. The company is challenging the Australian government’s age verification laws which are due to come into affect on Monday.
The new law requires websites hosting pornography and age-restricted material to implement safety measures including facial age estimation, digital wallets and photo ID.
“Aylo’s video sharing platforms will be restricting access to adult material before the deadline on March 9th,” the spokesperson said. “Australia is following a similar approach to the UK, which all our evidence shows does not effectively protect minors, and instead creates harms relating to data privacy and exposure to illegal content on non-compliant platforms.”
The news laws will also apply to social media platforms, adult web sites, AI companion chatbots, and apps including downloadable apps.
Companies who do not comply can face a fine of $49.5 million per breach.
Australia’s E-Safety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant has welcomed the sign that companies are taking the new laws seriously.
“We don’t allow children to walk into bars or bottle shops, adult stores or casinos, but when it comes to online spaces where they are spending a lot of their time, there are no such safeguards,” Inman Grant said.
“But that changes for Australian kids with these codes, which simply bring those same, commonsense protections we all grew up with to the online world of today to ensure children are having age-appropriate experiences and not being exposed to potentially harmful content too early.” Inman Grant said.
Similar laws were brought in the United Kingdom who saw around a 50% decrease in traffic to popular pornography hosting sites, however at the same time there was also a huge uptick in people downloading VPN programs that would allow them to skirt around the restrictions.
