Pornhub, Stripchat, XNXX, and XVideos are all in the crosshairs after a ten-month investigation concluded their age-verification practices simply don't cut it. A single checkbox confirming you're 18? Not good enough, says Brussels.
Who is being charged?
Pornhub: Owned by Aylo Freesites, registered in Cyprus.
Stripchat: A subsidiary of Technius, also Cyprus-registered.
XNXX: Operated by NKL Associates, a Czech company.
XVideos: Run by WebGroup Czech Republic, a Czech unit.
As reported by Reuters, EU tech chief Henna Virkkunen put it plainly: children are reaching this content younger and younger, and the platforms need to implement real, privacy-preserving age checks, not page blurs and content warnings that anyone can click past.
The Commission also accuses the companies of being more concerned about their own reputations than the risks posed to minors, a pointed rebuke that signals how seriously regulators are taking this. If found guilty, the platforms face fines of up to 6% of global annual turnover. The four companies (owned by Cypriot and Czech parent groups) now have the chance to respond before a final decision is made.