The state of Florida is cracking down on porn after a new law took effect at midnight on Jan. 1 which makes it more difficult to watch online.
The world’s largest site Pornhub and others are shut off to Florida residents after Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill requiring porn sites to track users by verifying their age.
Anyone in Florida who has tried to access sites like Pornhub or RedTube have seen messages from the company explaining they’re barred from watching porn because of the state law.
“Your elected officials have required us to verify your age before granting you access to our website,” a spokeswoman said.
The state now requires those who want to access online pornography to upload their driver’s licenses or even a picture of their face to verify their age.
Many Florida voters argue their freedom is being violated while others say it should be banned.
An 18-year-old man said it didn’t seem fair that people his age could go to war and die for their country but were required to have a driver’s licenses to access an adult website.
“There's plenty worse things to see on the internet besides porn,” he said.
There's also concern about uploading your licenses.
Phil James of Fort Myers said the concern of sites getting hacked and a user’s private data being placed at risk seemed legitimate.
“I think their concern about them getting hacked and all that private information getting shared is a real concern,” James explained.
Many people including Pornhub fear the new state law could force people into the dark web to sites that aren't well regulated.
Pornhub warns users that requiring age verification has the potential to drive traffic to sites with far fewer safety measures in place.
The company suggests users be tracked by the device they use rather than their identity.
“Until a real solution is offered, we've made the difficult decision to completely disable the site in your region. Please contact your representatives,” a Pornhub spokeswoman said.
The 18-year-old young man said it seemed strange the state is cracking down on porn when people are worried about school shootings and other tragedies.
“I think that is kind of off,” he said.
Florida is among 13 states now barred from accessing some porn sites.
The new Florida law signed by the governor also bars teens under 14 from creating a social media account on platforms like TikTok, Instagram and Facebook.
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