Age verification will be required to access porn sites in the EU.

Three of the world’s biggest porn sites are facing new requirements in the European Union.

The committee targeted three websites with pornographic content. Pornhub, XVideos and Stripchat join Facebook, Instagram, Google and X (formerly Twitter) in the list of EU platforms with over 45 million monthly users on average in the EU! Two of the three reside in Cyprus.

Brussels will now be able to check websites comply with the stricter set of rules under the Digital Services Act, including protecting minors and tackling the spread of illegal content.

The committee said in a statement that the law includes provisions to protect children by preventing them “from accessing pornographic content on the Internet, including age verification tools.”

“I welcome the designation of Pornhub, XVideos and Stripchat as very large online platforms. This will allow greater scrutiny and accountability of the algorithms and their processes,” said Commission Vice-President Margrethe Vestager.

The move is seen as a major step in Brussels’ campaign to crack down on the unregulated industry amid growing concerns about lax age verification mechanisms and the circulation of child sexual abuse material and retaliatory content generated by artificial intelligence.

Canadian-owned Pornhub and global cam service Stripchat, which has its EU headquarters in Cyprus, claimed its monthly user count had fallen short of 45 million, with Pornhub citing a block of 33 million monthly users.

A European Commission official confirmed on Wednesday that based on alternative data sources, the commission had “reasonable certainty” that the two platforms’ methodologies for calculating user numbers were flawed and that both had monthly users “in excess of” 45 million.

The new obligations are due to come into force on 17 February 2024, and the Commission is expected to review the risk mitigation reports for the three porn sites by the end of April.

The Commission says the list of companies linked to the tougher rules will grow, with other platforms including Only Fans and Telegram coming under its radar.

Violations are punishable by fines of up to 6% of global revenue or even a ban from operating in the European Union.

France, Germany, Britain and the United States, including Utah and Texas, have passed laws requiring porn sites to verify that users are 18 years or older. Methods could include checking credit cards, government-issued IDs or scanning people to estimate ages, the Associated Press story notes, but all of these systems have raised concerns about privacy and discrimination.

European digital law also requires measures to reduce the risks of spreading illegal content online, such as child sexual abuse material, or content that violates “fundamental rights” such as privacy, such as “non-consensual” images or fake pornography.

“These measures may include amending terms and conditions, interfaces, moderation procedures or algorithms, among others,” the Commission said.