Pornhub goes dark in half the country as new laws take effect

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Well folks, the porn police are at it again, and this time they’ve managed to cockblock nearly half the country.

As 404 Media reports, Florida, Tennessee, and South Carolina just joined the growing list of states where Pornhub and its sister sites have gone dark.

It all started with Louisiana’s Act 440, dreamed up by a “sex addiction” counselor turned state rep, which spread faster than a viral tweet across the Bible Belt.

The law’s supposed to “protect the children” by demanding age verification, but instead, it’s just created a digital Mason-Dixon line for adult content.

Aylo, Pornhub’s parent company, isn’t playing ball. Rather than collect everyone’s driver’s license info, they’re hitting the kill switch state by state. In their own words, they’re “fully compliant with the law” – by completely blocking access.

“Some people have erroneously interpreted us blocking access in Florida to mean that we are doing so because we don’t want to implement age verification. That is inaccurate,” an Arlo spokesperson wrote. “The problem is simply that the law is designed in a dangerous and haphazard way that puts in jeopardy user privacy and also the safety of both adults and children.”

A Timeline of America’s Great Porn Exodus

For those keeping score at home (and let’s face it, that’s probably all you can do in these states now), here’s a blow-by-blow account of how America’s adult entertainment industry got here:

Plus, more states are lined up with similar laws in the pipeline. It’s like a nationwide game of digital dominoes, except nobody’s having fun.

The damage? A whopping 41% of Americans live in areas affected by these laws. The Supreme Court’s set to weigh in, but until then, looks like it’s VPN time for the thirsty masses down South.

Feeling frustrated by the ever-growing list of states blocking your access to adult content? You’re not alone. As more states like Florida, Tennessee, and South Carolina join the ban, it’s clear we’re in a digital drought Let us know in the comments below.

Kevin Raposo

Kevin is KnowTechie's founder and executive editor. With over 15 years of blogging experience in the tech industry, Kevin has transformed what was once a passion project into a full-blown tech news publication. Shoot him an email at kevin@knowtechie.com.