EU Commission probes four porn websites amid concern for minors

Published connected 27/05/2025 - 11:45 GMT+2•Updated 11:52

The European Commission has begun investigating porn platforms Pornhub, Stripchat, XNXX, and XVideos for suspected breaches of nan Digital Services Act (DSA) nan EU’s online level rules, related to protection of minors.  

These see risks that property verification measures deployed by nan sites are ineffective.

The Commission has already recovered connected nan ground of mandatory reports and requests for accusation that nan companies didn't put due and proportionate measures successful spot to guarantee a precocious level of privacy, information and information for minors, successful peculiar pinch property verification devices to safeguard minors from big content. 

Nor did nan sites transportation retired consequence assessments aliases mitigate for antagonistic effects connected nan authorities of children, aliases usage due property verification devices to forestall minors from accessing big content, nan Commission said.

Protecting young users online is 1 of nan cardinal enforcement priorities nether nan DSA. The Commission has launched respective probes into protection of minors nether nan level rules, including into Meta’s Facebook and Instagram. 

The DSA entered into unit for nan first batch of nan largest online platforms successful 2023, including Facebook, TikTok, X and Amazon.

The Commission brought porn platforms nether nan ambit of nan rules which impact very ample online platforms (or VLOPS) aft they collapsed nan period of 45 cardinal mean monthly users.

It presently designates 25 platforms arsenic VLOPs, and has besides begun investigating breaches of nan DSA by Temu, X, TikTok and Meta. None of nan probes person been wrapped up yet.

The EU executive said Stripchat will not anymore beryllium designated arsenic a VLOP aft providing personification numbers that are beneath nan threshold. The determination applies successful 4 months.

For nan probes it began connected Tuesday, nan Commission worked together pinch nan personnel states, done nan European Board for Digital Services, which together launched a coordinated action to protect minors arsenic regards pornographic contented connected smaller platforms. The nationalist authorities are responsible for overseeing each nan companies that autumn beneath nan 45 cardinal mean monthly personification thresholds.

The probes could beryllium further expanded pinch different elements nether nan DSA, successful nan people of nan investigation.

Earlier this month, nan Commission launched a nationalist consultation connected its draught guidelines connected nan protection of minors online, aimed to thief online platforms to guarantee a precocious level of privacy, information and information for children online.