Pornhub pulls out of France over age verification law

It's not only in the US where the porn industry is under fire, the European Union is also stepping up regulatory pressure requiring age verification in order for users to access adult content.

Pornhub is reportedly the most visited porn site in the world. It's operating company is called Aylo, which is owned by a Canadian private equity firm called Ethical Capital Partners.

Pornhub is a business with its primary objective being to make money.

According to media reports, France is the company's second-biggest market, behind the US.

The decision to pull out of France - rather than comply with the age-verification framework being imposed by regulators - is in line with the way that the company has responded to increasing regulation in the US.

Pornhub's owners cite the potential privacy risks of the age-verification requirements. It would also cost a lot to build the functionality required to implement age-verification.

What's not clear is what Pornhub's business strategy is. The age-verification requirements have been in the pipeline for a while, it will be interesting to see how Pornhub evolves its business model in response.

But it's the broader context of this that is worrying. What we are seeing is regulatory pressure being used as a tool to effectively limit access to adult content - to porn.

Porn is being used as a scapegoat for the societal troubles of the world. The issues that grab the headlines each day are the consequences of capitalism - the rise of individualism, community breakdown, isolation, disconnection, and loneliness. Instead of grappling with the underlying causes, banning porn is seen as a solution.

Adding fuel to the fire is the rise of socially conservative christo-nationalism in the US, with stated policy objectives to ban porn.

What we're likely to see is increasing regulation and attempts to control the production, distribution, and accessibility of porn. History shows us that this pushes porn underground and increases the risks for everyone involved.

It feels as if porn is about to get dangerous again. That's kind of sexy, right?

How does porn get made?

It's only relatively recently that the adult entertainment industry has gone relatively mainstream.

Changes to censorship laws in the US and the rise of VHS tapes in the early 1980s saw a boom in the production and distribution of porn - particularly in the US.

The expansion of the internet made online distribution possible, and the more recent emergency of fan-subscription platforms has democratised who can be an adult content creator.

Let's look at some of the mechanics of the porn industry.

Studios still play a big role

With the rise of fan-subscription platforms, porn has become much more independent, with many performers and creators able to produce content on their terms and make bank while doing so.

But big studios such as Naked Sword still create and distribute a lot of content and are effectively the face of the industry.

Filming studio scenes can be an important way for performers to establish their reputation and grow their audience.

Filming porn is feels like work

A 20-minute porn scene may require a full shooting day in which performers may be expected to be hard for hours at a time.

While chemistry between performers obviously helps, the guys working in the industry are professionals who turn up, shoot the scene, and then go home.

It is a performance.

Tools of the trade

Erection enhancers such as Viagra and Trimex have made it possible to film porn with a different vibe than the vintage porn classics.

No one is doing recreational drugs on the set of a porn film.

Performers are all testing regularly for STIs.