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Arizona’s Age-Check Law Takes Effect Friday; Pornhub to Block Access Statewide

The measure compels qualifying sites to verify users’ ages through IDs or comparable tools under rules that bar storing identifying data.

Overview

  • House Bill 2112 applies to commercial websites where more than one-third of content is deemed harmful to minors, triggering mandatory age verification.
  • Approved methods include government ID, credit card or face scan, and the verification service must not retain or transmit identifying information.
  • The law creates a private right of action for parents and sets civil penalties of $10,000 per day for violations, rising to as much as $250,000 in some cases.
  • Pornhub’s parent company Aylo says it will block Arizona users when the law starts, citing privacy risks and prior experience in Louisiana where traffic fell about 80%.
  • Industry and civil-liberties groups warn the definitions are subjective, raise free-speech and privacy concerns, and can be bypassed via noncompliant sites or VPNs; news organizations are exempt.