4 ms·

Pornhub disables website in Texas over objection to age verification law

59 points by c420 3y ago

polishdude20 3y ago
As a Canadian my perception of Texas is "muh freedoms". I perceive the state as one where everyone carries a gun and hates government overreach. But this is the complete opposite of that.
- happymellon 3y ago
  But freedom has never been what these people have been about, it's just been about: They don't like paying tax They like having firearms and the right to murder other humans, king of the castle rules etc. They want to control other people's genitals Pretty much everything falls under those rules, which is the opposite of anything that Jesus said yet call themselves Christian.
- cstrahan 3y ago
  Hi, Texan here (used to live in Washington, D.C. and N.Y., only moved back here due to health issues about 6 years ago). I wish your perception was aligned with reality, and I see why you have the perception that you do. For all the talk of freedoms, conservatives quite often love to regulate anything that isn't supported by their understanding of Christian doctrine. Separation of church and state? You betcha! Wouldn't want spooky non-Christian religious iconography in public areas. But of course, no one would be opposed to a Ten Commandments Monument, so we'll go commission that with tax payer dollars and place it at the state capitol. What's this?! The Satanic Church wants to put a statue of Baphomet there as well? Unacceptable! That's just them being petty, immature pranksters. Your actions are only righteous if we deem them reasonable! We should try our hardest to remove the Baphomet statue while keeping the Ten Commandments Monument, all while trying to keep a straight face despite the hypocrisy. Not in Texas, but that's actually the kind of bullshit that happens elsewhere in the states: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Statue_of_Baphomet https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Statue_of_Baphomet In Texas you're totally, completely free! I mean, apart from the prohibition of a whole host of victimless actions. We don't like what you're doing and find you icky for doing it; better prepare your legal defense. The reality is that, despite conservatives' (especially conservative Texans') hypocritical claims to the contrary, both the left and the right LOVE regulation. They just can't agree on which freedoms to strip away.
  - polishdude20 3y ago
    Ah so it's a freedom for me and not for the kinda thing. Is there a state that does uphold the values of freedom the most?
- hurrdurr57 3y ago
  Yeah, it's not exactly a libertarian utopia. It offers freedom within the context of Judeo-Christian values and fiscal conservatism.
undersuit 3y ago
Just checked. Pornhub is also still disabled in Montana as well from our similar law last year.
- branon 3y ago
  It's like this in Virginia too!
  - deleted 3y ago
    [deleted]
  - kazinator 3y ago
    How about Georgia? Maybe The Bandit can be goaded on a bet, to deliver a truckload of DVDs from Atlanta.
Meekro 3y ago
Discussed a couple hours ago, then flagged into oblivion: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39708347 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39708347
LispSporks22 3y ago
Man, I hate living in a nanny state like Texas where big government is reaching into all parts of peoples lives. Parents really need to stop putting iPads in toddlers hands and actually start, err, parenting.
- deleted 3y ago
  [deleted]
- exclusiv 3y ago
  Seriously. You can also buy a Firewalla or similar and activate the auto-blocking of porn sites with a button. I also block Roblox for a good chunk of the day too haha. But my 6 yr old figured out he could hop of wifi and use the cellular connection to get around the Roblox ban. You can't prevent adolescents from accessing porn. I used to dial-up to playboy.com. Magazines were available too as dad's just left them out. Kids know VPNs nowadays too. Their idea of having everyone submit government ID to view website content is ridiculous. You can join the military at 17. But in Texas, I guess you can't look at porn for another year.
  - joshxyz 3y ago
    even just setting dns to 1.1.1.3 removes all porn in the internet. too ez these days.
- elcritch 3y ago
  How is requiring age verification for porn different than age verification for cigarettes and alcohol that every state has? Pornography has well researched addictive and other negative properties, especially for youth.
  - Nasrudith 3y ago
    Does your liquor store record the date and time of every purchase?
  - johngladtj 3y ago
    That should not be required either
kazinator 3y ago
> The company calls for age verification by the makers of devices that let people on the internet, instead of individual websites. Also haphazard, ineffective and dangerous; basically just punts it down the hall.
P_I_Staker 3y ago
Unpopular opinion: there is too much garbage on the free sites and there should be censorship for free content that is readily available. It's not just fetishes, and it seems the tastes deviate a fair amount from most of the more normal kink krowd. The worst version of mens tastes are really commonplace, and almost promoted, or at least normalized. It seems that many of the content creators have made their peace with it, so it's often not the most fringe stuff. Even small timers and your local performers take part. "it's just business" or "at least they're only watching movies with (hopefully 100%) willing actors" is what the workers say.
matt_heimer 3y ago
Out of curiosity, does anyone know the technical requirements for the age system that this law requires? I'm assuming it's something more complex than "enter your birthday".
- hurrdurr57 3y ago
  My understanding is that you would have to provide a driver's license or another state issued ID to gain access.
  - matt_heimer 3y ago
    I think the latest update to the bill is https://capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/88R/billtext/pdf/HB01181F.pdf https://capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/88R/billtext/pdf/HB01181F.... There is a vague "digital identification" option that I don't understand. There is a transactional data option that includes things like looking at your mortgage or education records. Then there is a "government-issued identification" option. There is also a "$10,000 per instance when the entity retains identifying information" clause. I'm reading that as that an account couldn't be verified once, you'd have to go through the verification every session? The required text on the landing page and bottom of every page is also interesting. "Pornography ... weakens brain function"

59 points by c420 3y ago

As a Canadian my perception of Texas is "muh freedoms". I perceive the state as one where everyone carries a gun and hates government overreach. But this is the complete opposite of that.

happymellon 3y ago
But freedom has never been what these people have been about, it's just been about: They don't like paying tax They like having firearms and the right to murder other humans, king of the castle rules etc. They want to control other people's genitals Pretty much everything falls under those rules, which is the opposite of anything that Jesus said yet call themselves Christian.
cstrahan 3y ago
Hi, Texan here (used to live in Washington, D.C. and N.Y., only moved back here due to health issues about 6 years ago). I wish your perception was aligned with reality, and I see why you have the perception that you do. For all the talk of freedoms, conservatives quite often love to regulate anything that isn't supported by their understanding of Christian doctrine. Separation of church and state? You betcha! Wouldn't want spooky non-Christian religious iconography in public areas. But of course, no one would be opposed to a Ten Commandments Monument, so we'll go commission that with tax payer dollars and place it at the state capitol. What's this?! The Satanic Church wants to put a statue of Baphomet there as well? Unacceptable! That's just them being petty, immature pranksters. Your actions are only righteous if we deem them reasonable! We should try our hardest to remove the Baphomet statue while keeping the Ten Commandments Monument, all while trying to keep a straight face despite the hypocrisy. Not in Texas, but that's actually the kind of bullshit that happens elsewhere in the states: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Statue_of_Baphomet https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Statue_of_Baphomet In Texas you're totally, completely free! I mean, apart from the prohibition of a whole host of victimless actions. We don't like what you're doing and find you icky for doing it; better prepare your legal defense. The reality is that, despite conservatives' (especially conservative Texans') hypocritical claims to the contrary, both the left and the right LOVE regulation. They just can't agree on which freedoms to strip away.
- polishdude20 3y ago
  Ah so it's a freedom for me and not for the kinda thing. Is there a state that does uphold the values of freedom the most?
hurrdurr57 3y ago
Yeah, it's not exactly a libertarian utopia. It offers freedom within the context of Judeo-Christian values and fiscal conservatism.

undersuit 3y ago

Just checked. Pornhub is also still disabled in Montana as well from our similar law last year.

branon 3y ago
It's like this in Virginia too!
- deleted 3y ago
  [deleted]
- kazinator 3y ago
  How about Georgia? Maybe The Bandit can be goaded on a bet, to deliver a truckload of DVDs from Atlanta.

Meekro 3y ago

Discussed a couple hours ago, then flagged into oblivion: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39708347 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39708347

LispSporks22 3y ago

Man, I hate living in a nanny state like Texas where big government is reaching into all parts of peoples lives. Parents really need to stop putting iPads in toddlers hands and actually start, err, parenting.

deleted 3y ago
[deleted]
exclusiv 3y ago
Seriously. You can also buy a Firewalla or similar and activate the auto-blocking of porn sites with a button. I also block Roblox for a good chunk of the day too haha. But my 6 yr old figured out he could hop of wifi and use the cellular connection to get around the Roblox ban. You can't prevent adolescents from accessing porn. I used to dial-up to playboy.com. Magazines were available too as dad's just left them out. Kids know VPNs nowadays too. Their idea of having everyone submit government ID to view website content is ridiculous. You can join the military at 17. But in Texas, I guess you can't look at porn for another year.
- joshxyz 3y ago
  even just setting dns to 1.1.1.3 removes all porn in the internet. too ez these days.
elcritch 3y ago
How is requiring age verification for porn different than age verification for cigarettes and alcohol that every state has? Pornography has well researched addictive and other negative properties, especially for youth.
- Nasrudith 3y ago
  Does your liquor store record the date and time of every purchase?
- johngladtj 3y ago
  That should not be required either

kazinator 3y ago

> The company calls for age verification by the makers of devices that let people on the internet, instead of individual websites. Also haphazard, ineffective and dangerous; basically just punts it down the hall.

P_I_Staker 3y ago

Unpopular opinion: there is too much garbage on the free sites and there should be censorship for free content that is readily available. It's not just fetishes, and it seems the tastes deviate a fair amount from most of the more normal kink krowd. The worst version of mens tastes are really commonplace, and almost promoted, or at least normalized. It seems that many of the content creators have made their peace with it, so it's often not the most fringe stuff. Even small timers and your local performers take part. "it's just business" or "at least they're only watching movies with (hopefully 100%) willing actors" is what the workers say.

matt_heimer 3y ago

Out of curiosity, does anyone know the technical requirements for the age system that this law requires? I'm assuming it's something more complex than "enter your birthday".

hurrdurr57 3y ago
My understanding is that you would have to provide a driver's license or another state issued ID to gain access.
- matt_heimer 3y ago
  I think the latest update to the bill is https://capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/88R/billtext/pdf/HB01181F.pdf https://capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/88R/billtext/pdf/HB01181F.... There is a vague "digital identification" option that I don't understand. There is a transactional data option that includes things like looking at your mortgage or education records. Then there is a "government-issued identification" option. There is also a "$10,000 per instance when the entity retains identifying information" clause. I'm reading that as that an account couldn't be verified once, you'd have to go through the verification every session? The required text on the landing page and bottom of every page is also interesting. "Pornography ... weakens brain function"