Peak French stupidity, this isn’t about protecting kids - it’s about building surveillance infrastructure. Back in 2024, critics already called this the foundation for a “Great Firewall of France”. Once you have the legal framework to block websites and force ISPs to implement monitoring, mission creep is inevitable.
The technical approach is laughably naive. They’re essentially creating a centralized system that could easily become a database of citizen sexual preferences. Even with their “double anonymity,” you’re still creating digital fingerprints and metadata trails.
Most importantly, it won’t work. Kids will just use VPNs - the same way adults are already doing. You’re not protecting anyone; you’re just pushing everyone toward circumvention tools while normalizing government control over what adults can access online.
It’s perfectly French because it combines maximum bureaucratic complexity with zero practical benefit, all while creating new opportunities for state overreach. Classic.
Amen
i think it should be a little harder for a child to watch anal prolapse fisting porn than “click yes if you’re of legal age”….
but… not a good excuse for creating a citizen surveillance database.Fair point on the current system being theater, but here’s the thing - any centralized age verification system creates exactly the surveillance database you’re worried about.
The “harder than clicking yes” solutions all have the same fundamental flaw: they require collecting and storing sensitive data that becomes a honeypot for both state actors and bad actors. Upload your ID? Now there’s a database linking your identity to your viewing habits. Credit card verification? Same problem, plus you’re creating financial trails.
The technical reality is that determined kids will circumvent anything you put in place. We already saw this play out - VPN registrations exploded 1,000% in France within 30 minutes. You’re not actually protecting kids; you’re just normalizing data collection on adults while teaching every teenager in the country how to use Tor.
Better approach would be device-level parental controls that parents can configure without creating centralized databases. Let Apple, Google, Microsoft handle age verification through their existing account systems where the data stays local. That way you get actual protection without building the infrastructure for a surveillance state.
The French solution gives you the worst of both worlds - ineffective protection AND mass surveillance. Classic government efficiency.
that’s a lack of imagination….
just because i can’t think of a great solution doesn’t mean there isn’t one.
off the top of my head, here’s a system without a centralized surveillance database:- porn site gives you a random token,
- you then hash that with a time-stamp,
- get the token signed by your government ID system (like a dmv),
- return the signed hash.
- the government only knows that you used age verification for something somewhere….
now the hard part is just explaining cryptographic signatures and hashes to people….
of course people could still give a kid a verified account, but at least it’s harder for them to access it, i don’t need perfection….
I have to admit, of all the nations on earth, I never expected this sort of puritanical theatrical authoritarianism out of the french.
They’ve been trying to block it for many years now.
France has been going downhill for quite some time. Many proposals for chat control and tracking… even recently, we got a law proposal that aimed at banning E2EE 😵
Politicians are always trying to ban encryption in every country. I remember it happening constantly in the 90s. And it happens because politicians don’t understand that you can’t ban math
Wait 'til they do it. You’re underestimating them.
Damn, the whole world really is going authoritarian.
When it’s not about protecting kids, it’s about fighting drugs
They always have a “good” reason to remove our freedom, because apparently security seems much more important, and it seems like it’s the only way to do it. Lol.
Authoritarians have embraced internet culture somehow.
I’m curious how they got Gen Z so curtailed.
To clarify, the french didn’t ban pornhub, it’s the company behind pornhub who decided to deny it’s access in France to protest a law proposal that is currently getting examined in parliament
Ps : The law in question would require all porn sites to verify the age of its users
The law in question would require all porn sites to verify the age of its users
Wait aren’t they proposing the same thing in the US as well? It’s a fairly standard thing of right-wing governments to just demand the impossible with no understanding about it could possibly be achieved.
They understand just how hard it would be to comply. And that’s the point. Make it hard enough to meet the requirements to not make worth a business’ while to comply. And the politicians can say “We didn’t ban PornHub. They blocked you from access.”
It’s a common tool both the left and right use to control behaviors. Governments around the world do this all the time.
Right, because we’ve never checked ID for things like tobacco and alcohol before?
These porn companies should work on efficient cost effective ways to verify adults instead of using politics and social media to increase profits. I’m sure you are aware profit is higher if children are allowed on their websites.
It’s very different handing my ID to a store clerk, who barely looks at it because my birth year starts with 19, from uploading a photo of that ID to a sketchy service who now has a permanent documentation of precisely who I am and what sort of freaky shit I’m into.
Sure, the tracking services already know this, but they don’t also have a photo of my ID that I willingly gave to them to prove it’s me.
Are you embarrassed you look at porn? There’s plenty of ways to manage without an internet connection. Go grab a compilation torrent.
Even if all these sites went verification tonight, you’d still be able to privately jerk off to whatever it is you want to hide so bad.
Torrents are even worse without a VPN. Ever heard of https://iknowwhatyoudownload.com/ ?
They should actually take to the streets (again). Not joking. What is this nanny-state BS?
Dr. Cox was right: “I’m fairly sure if they took porn off the internet, there’d only be one website left, and it’d be called ‘Bring Back the Porn.'”
Did you ever hear the tragedy of Darth Tumblr the Depraved?
I still miss og tumblr and my little porn account i had going there.
I hate how hard this made me laugh
Does oglaf count as porn?
Asking for a friend.Scared to click, someone pls provide context
These are comics, often with a nsfw gag, it’s safe to click on, it’s very mild.
Lol, there’s even a warning. The first one I saw was fucking hilarious, thanks for the recommendation!
Blocking porn has got to be the most “why even bother” thing
Political theater. “Won’t somebody think of the children?” is an easy win for politicians.
Plus an excuse to collect more data.
This is depressing.
it’s not like sexual desire is human nature
Sexual desire is one thing. Pornography is another. Porn is evil.
Believe it or not, there’s nuance in the world. Not everything is good or evil.
Irrelevant to what I said.
You said porn is evil. Seems pretty relevant to reply saying things aren’t all good or evil.
I could explain it slowly
in simpler termswith easy words, if it helps?If you have a position state it directly instead of hiding behind a low effort platitude.
I did. My position is that there is nuance and not everything can be described as good or evil.
Please learn to read.
Out of the loop here, why did Pornhub leave France?
France passed a law requiring porn sites to verify age of all site visitors. Pornhub is blocking France instead of forcing its visitors to provide ID.
Age verification requirements.
wow, didn’t expect that from france. I thought they, of all countries, would be less prudish than Texas about porn. 😬
We have our own homegrown bigots, thank you
Everywhere has religious people that think they deserve to control others.
Texas isn’t the first. I think it was started by Germany? I know the UK banned women’s orgasms and Australia banned hentai. Heck, India apparently banned porn altogether, ineffectively.
I know the UK banned women’s orgasms
Why? To prevent British women from having expectations?
Because female cum is urine according to the powers that be, and that’s too much for them.
Australia banned hentai
Did we? My scientific search the other night proves that false, and I’m not on VPN.
They banned the physical books, but they can’t really stop the internet
