The EU is charging sex sites with breaching technology security laws, which could face fines
Listen to this article
Average 3 minutes
The audio version of this article was created by AI-based technology. It can be mispronounced. We are working with our partners to continuously review and improve the results.
Adult content platforms Pornhub, Stripchat, XNXX and XVideos have been charged with breaking European Union laws by allowing children to access pornographic content on their sites, EU regulators said on Thursday, which could lead to hefty fines.
The charges follow a 10-month investigation under the bloc’s Digital Services Act, which requires major internet platforms to do more to tackle illegal and harmful content.
“Children are accessing adult content at an increasing age and these platforms must put in place strong, privacy-preserving and effective measures to prevent children from using them,” EU chief technology officer Henna Virkkunen said in a statement.
Companies risk being fined up to six percent of their annual turnover worldwide if found guilty of violating the Digital Services Act.
The European Commission, which is charged with enforcing the act, said the companies did not use specific and comprehensive methods to assess the risks to children receiving their services.
It accused Pornhub, owned by Aylo Freesites, Stripchat, owned by Cyprus’s Technius, XNXX, owned by the Czech group NKL Associates, and WebGroup Czech Republic unit XVideos of being more concerned about their reputation than the social risks to children.
The regulator also objected to the companies’ self-declaration tool that allows users to access their platforms with a simple click that verifies they are over 18.
That said, measures such as page obfuscation and content warnings have not been successful in preventing children from accessing their sites.
The commission said Pornhub, Stripchat, XNXX and XVideos need to implement measures to ensure age privacy to protect children from harmful content.
Snapchat is also under scrutiny
Also on Thursday, the EU’s governing commission said it would open an official investigation into Snapchat under the Digital Services Act over concerns that the platform is not doing enough to protect children from risks such as increased vulnerability to child predators or recruitment by criminals.
The European Commission said Snapchat requires users to be at least 13 years old to use the platform but suspects the company’s “age verification” system is “not sufficient” to retain new users.
A Los Angeles jury has found Meta and YouTube guilty in a landmark lawsuit that claims the companies knew their products were dangerous and addictive to children. A New Mexico judge ruled against Meta in a similar case earlier this week.
Regulators said the app also doesn’t properly check whether a user is under 17, which it needs to do to provide “age-appropriate” information. They are also concerned that age verification programs do not prevent adults from impersonating children.
Snapchat said in a statement that it is “fully cooperating” with the Commission by “engaging continuously, transparently and working in good faith to meet the DSA’s high security standards – and we will continue to do so throughout this investigation,” adding that user safety is a priority.
The ruling also comes on the heels of major rulings by the US Meta and YouTube found guilty in a landmark social media addiction lawsuit in Los Angeles, after a jury earlier in the week found that Meta violated New Mexico state laws meant to protect children from harm.
