Pornhub parent company Aylo will not block access to its websites in Ohio, despite new state age verification rules that came into effect Sept. 30.
On Tuesday, XBIZ reported that Aylo would geoblock its sites in Ohio, as it has done in multiple states following the enactment of age verification legislation. On Thursday, however, an Aylo spokesperson told XBIZ that the company does not believe Ohio’s AV law — which was passed as part of a budget appropriations bill rather than as stand-alone legislation — applies in this case.
“As a provider of an ‘interactive computer service’ as defined under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, it is our understanding that we are not subject to the obligations under section 1349.10 of the Ohio Revised Code regarding mandated age verification for the ‘interactive computer services’ we provide, such as Pornhub,” the statement reads.
“We have publicly supported age verification of users for years,” it continues. “However, we believe that any law to this effect must preserve user safety and privacy and must effectively protect children from accessing content intended for adults.”
XBIZ regrets the error.
