Pornhub wants to come back to Arkansas screens
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Pornhub is asking states, including Arkansas, to reconsider laws that require the site to verify users' ages.
Catch up quick: Arkansas is one of many states in recent years to implement policies requiring that porn websites verify that those viewing their content are at least 18 years old.
- While courts have ruled that such laws don't violate the First Amendment, opponents have expressed concerns over privacy as these laws often require everyone, including adults, to submit identification.
The latest: Pornhub sent a letter to more than 300 politicians in 28 states arguing that age verification laws have failed to prevent minors from accessing adult content but do put all users' data at risk, Politico reports.
- Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Attorney General Tim Griffin, state Sen. Tyler Dees (R-Siloam Springs) and state Rep. Mindy McAlindon (R-Centerton) are among those to whom the letter is addressed. Dees and McAlindon sponsored Arkansas' law.
Flashback: Arkansas' Protection of Minors from Distribution of Harmful Material Act went into effect in 2023 and requires either a website or a third-party vendor to verify a user is 18 or older from "all of the data elements visible on the face and back of a license or identification card" each time they try to access the site.
- Pornhub blocked all access to its site in Arkansas rather than implement age verification.
What we're watching: Lawmakers have given no indication they plan to revisit the issue, but we'll keep an eye on it in the legislative session coming up this spring.