Utah Attorney General Derek Brown drew parallels to battles against Big Pharma and Big Tech, emphasizing that the First Amendment offers no shield for such atrocities. “Since 2012, these sites have been a cesspool of tens of thousands of videos and images exploiting children and violating consent,” Brown declared.
FTC Commissioner Melissa Holyoak, once Utah’s Solicitor General, announced the federal complaint and proposed settlement, filed concurrently in court.
The obligations placed on Aylo are clear: implement programs to block CSAM, verify consent for those depicted, swiftly remove nonconsensual content, and post a public notice about the settlement. Failure to comply risks a $10 million fine, with an auditor watching the company for a decade. Brown called the move a long-overdue reckoning for an industry steeped in moral decay.
In a carefully worded email to FOX 13 News, Aylo insisted the issues predated 2020 and had new measures like uploader verification and partnerships with anti-exploitation groups. They framed the settlement as the enhancement of existing measures, not an admission of guilt, and demanded more internet reforms. Yet their self-imposed Utah blackout, a protest against the state’s age-verification mandate, continues.
Perspective
The moral taint of pornography, and in particular websites like Pornhub, erodes the social fabric of any nation in which it is permitted to permeate. It legitimates the commercialization and dehumanization of human beings, reducing intimacy to a mere transaction and consent to an afterthought, all whilst amplifying the darkest impulses of exploitation.
More specifically, on the topic of CSAM and nonconsensual material, these sites profit from the perpetuation of trauma, the dehumanization of victims and the desensitization of viewers to violence and abuse.
This unmonitored industry has fostered a culture where critical boundaries break down, leaving communities shattered and vulnerable; most especially children, who are exposed to a distorted worldview that undermines every human being’s dignity.
The fight against this scourge isn’t just legal; it is a moral imperative to reclaim our shared humanity from the shadows of digital vice.
ADDITIONAL DETAILS
State Actions Against Pornography (Excluding Utah)
Louisiana
- Age Verification Law: Louisiana was the first state to enact a law requiring age verification for accessing pornographic websites, effective January 2023. The law mandates websites to verify users’ ages using a digital driver’s license or third-party services, influencing other states’ legislation. Pornhub initially complied by implementing age verification but later faced legal challenges from the Free Speech Coalition, arguing privacy and free speech violations.
- Public Health Resolution: Louisiana passed a resolution declaring pornography a public health crisis, following Utah’s 2016 precedent. This symbolic measure aimed to highlight the perceived societal harms of pornography, particularly on children.
Virginia
- Deepfake Pornography Law: In 2019, Virginia amended its revenge porn laws to criminalize the creation and distribution of “deepfake” pornography, where an individual’s face is superimposed onto pornographic content without consent. This was among the first state-level efforts to address AI-generated explicit content.
- Age Verification Law: Virginia passed an age verification law similar to Louisiana’s, requiring adult websites to verify users’ ages to prevent minors’ access. This led Pornhub to block access for Virginia users, citing compliance challenges.
Arkansas
- Public Health Resolution: Arkansas adopted a resolution declaring pornography a public health crisis, emphasizing its impact on children’s mental health and societal issues like human trafficking.
- Age Verification Law: In 2023, Arkansas passed a law requiring adult websites to verify users’ ages, prompting Pornhub to restrict access in the state. The law allows private citizens to sue non-compliant websites, mirroring Utah’s approach.
Montana
- Age Verification Law: Montana enacted an age verification law in 2023, mandating adult websites to verify users’ ages to restrict minors’ access. As a result, Pornhub blocked its site in the state, citing enforcement difficulties.
- Public Health Resolution: Montana passed a resolution declaring pornography a public health crisis, following Utah’s model, to raise awareness about its effects on youth and societal norms.
Mississippi
- Age Verification Law: Mississippi passed a 2023 law requiring age verification for adult websites, leading to Pornhub blocking access for state residents. The law aims to protect minors but has faced criticism for privacy concerns.
Texas
- Age Verification Law: Texas enacted a 2023 law mandating age verification for adult websites, resulting in Pornhub restricting access in the state. The law has sparked debates over free speech and privacy, with legal challenges pending.
Other States with Public Health Resolutions
- Since Utah’s 2016 resolution declaring pornography a public health crisis, 11 additional states—Arizona, Florida, Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, and Ohio (pending)—have passed similar resolutions. These non-binding measures highlight concerns about pornography’s impact on children’s development, mental health, and societal issues like hypersexualization and human trafficking. Many call for education, research, and policy changes, but do not impose direct restrictions.
