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The European Commission is investigating four large adult content websites — Pornhub, Stripchat, XNXX and XVideos — over concerns that they are failing to protect minors online.
The investigations fall under the Digital Services Act, which sets out how tech companies should police the internet and aims to keep European citizens safe online.
“The online space should be a safe environment for children to learn and connect,” said the EU’s tech chief Henna Virkkunen. “Our priority is to protect minors and allow them to navigate safely online.”
The commission’s investigation follows an analysis of internal company data and replies to formal information requests. The commission argues that the current measures taken by the platforms to protect minors do not mitigate the risks, with sites failing, for example, to have effective age verification measures or proportionate measures to ensure a high level of privacy, safety and security for minors.
EU member states have in parallel launched a co-ordinated crackdown on smaller pornographic platforms under national jurisdictions to ensure uniform enforcement of the DSA across the bloc.
If the platforms fail to comply with the DSA, they could face interim measures or, ultimately, fines. Companies that fail to follow the new EU digital rules face fines of up to 6 per cent of their global turnover.
Global regulators have been struggling to police so-called user-generated sites, which rely on individuals to post content and have been criticised for harbouring harmful and illegal material. Porn sites have proved particularly difficult to rein in.
When asked about potential accusations of censorship, a commission official said they were “agnostic to the content” but simply concerned with ensuring the platforms comply with existing regulations.
Brussels is simultaneously developing an EU-wide age-verification app that will allow platforms to confirm a user is over 18 without revealing additional personal information. The app, which is part of a broader child safety initiative, is set to be available later this year.
