On Thursday 13 June, the European Commission announced that it had sent a request for information to the pornographic sites Pornhub, Stripchat and XVideos concerning measures put in place to protect minors and prevent the dissemination of illegal content and gender-based violence.
In particular, the European Commission is demanding “details of the age verification mechanisms” adopted by these three major pornographic platforms, according to a press release.
These platforms have already been the subject of complaints in some Member States, notably for their ease of access, despite inappropriate content for underage audiences.
In France, a request to block these sites was made at the request of several family associations and Arcom (national authority for regulating media).
At European level, the three platforms have been subject to the strictest DSA rules as ‘Very Large Online Platforms’ (VLOP) since December 2023 (see EUROPE 13318/8).
At the end of April, the European Commission had already ordered them to submit their risk assessment reports (see EUROPE 13395/10), as required by law.
The European Commission is also asking the three sites for “detailed information on their internal organisation” in order to ensure that they comply with European legislation and have put in place effective means to “assess and mitigate the risks associated with using their services”.
The three platforms have until 4 July to submit the requested documents. (Original version in French by Isalia Stieffatre)