EU accuses porn sites of violating technical security rules, they may have to pay fine

Adult content platforms Pornhub, StripChat, XVideos and XVideos have been accused of violating EU rules 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-long investigation under the bloc’s Digital Services Act, which requires large online platforms to do more to tackle illegal and harmful content.

“Children are accessing adult content at an increasingly younger age and these platforms must take strong, privacy-protecting and effective measures to keep minors away from their services,” EU technology chief Hanna Virkkunen said in a statement.

Companies found guilty of violating the Digital Services Act risk fines of up to six percent of their global annual turnover.

The European Commission, which is charged with enforcing the Act, said the companies did not use objective and thorough methods to assess the risks to children accessing their services.

It accused Pornhub, owned by Aylo Freesites, StripChat, a subsidiary of Cyprus’ Technius, ‌XNXX, owned by Czech group NKL Associates, and WebGroup Czech Republic unit XVideos, of being more concerned about their reputations than social risks to minors.

The regulator also took issue with the companies’ self-declaration tool, which allows users to confirm that they are above 18 years of age with a simple click.

It said measures such as page blurring and content warnings were not effective in preventing children from accessing their sites.

The Commission said Pornhub, StripChat, XNXX and XVideos need to implement privacy protection age verification measures to protect children from harmful content.

Snapchat also under investigation

Also on Thursday, the EU’s executive commission said it was launching a formal investigation into Snapchat under the Digital Services Act over concerns 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 it suspects the company’s “age assurance” system is “inadequate” to keep out younger users.

Look Meta, YouTube found liable in landmark social media addiction case:

Meta loses second mental health harm case in a week

A Los Angeles jury has found Meta and YouTube liable in a landmark lawsuit that claimed the companies knew their products were dangerous and addictive to children. A New Mexico jury ruled against Meta in a similar case earlier this week.

Regulators said the system was also not properly checking whether a user was under 17, which should be done to give them an “age-appropriate” experience. They are also concerned that the age verification system is not preventing adults from posing as minors.

Snapchat said in a statement that it has “fully cooperated” with the Commission by working proactively, transparently and in good faith to meet the DSA’s high security standards – and we will continue to do so throughout this investigation, and that user safety remains the highest priority.

This decision also comes after major decisions in US Meta and YouTube found liable In a landmark social media addiction trial in Los Angeles, earlier in the week another jury found Meta violated New Mexico state regulations Its purpose is to protect children from harm.