Big-name porn sites back online in France after age check row
A court suspended a decision requiring pornographic platforms based in the EU to verify users' ages. PHOTO: AFP
PARIS – Major adult websites Pornhub, YouPorn and RedTube were back online in France on June 20 after a court here suspended a decision requiring pornographic platforms based in the EU to verify users' ages.
France has gradually introduced requirements for all adult websites to have users confirm their age with details such as a credit card or ID document. The aim is to prevent minors from accessing pornography.
But the Paris administrative tribunal on June 16 suspended a government decree while investigating whether it was compatible with EU legislation.
The French government has shared its intention to appeal to the Council of State, France's highest administrative court.
The three platforms' owner, Aylo, said the decree's suspension was an 'opportunity to reconsider more efficient approaches' to age verification.
Aylo, based in Cyprus, made its websites unavailable in France in early June as a protest against the French decree. Failure to comply could have led to sanctions, including fines or the blocking of the websites.
Aylo argued that this was an ineffective mechanism that exposed people's data to bad actors, hacks or leaks.
'Requiring you to repeatedly provide sensitive personal information creates an unacceptable security risk that we refuse to impose on our users,' the company said in a message displayed on the sites' home pages earlier in June.
About 40 per cent of children in France access porn sites every month, according to a 2024 study by France's Arcom audiovisual watchdog.
In a bid to preserve privacy, the government decree also required operators to offer a third-party 'double-blind' option that would prevent the platforms from seeing users' identifying information.
Aylo, which reports seven million visitors in France daily across its various platforms, has called instead for governments to require makers of operating systems such as Apple, Microsoft and Google to verify users' ages at the level of individual devices.
The platform also argues that the French law 'diverts users to thousands of sites that deliberately circumvent regulations' and fails to moderate videos for issues such as the age and consent of performers.
Other countries such as Britain and Germany also enforce age-related access restrictions to adult websites. AFP
Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
39 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Europe-Iran talks yield little in Geneva at ‘perilous' moment, ministers ready to meet again
British foreign minister David Lammy (left) and French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot briefing the media in Geneva on June 20, after their talks with Iran's Foreign Minister on Tehran's nuclear programme. PHOTO: AFP Europe-Iran talks yield little in Geneva at 'perilous' moment, ministers ready to meet again GENEVA - There were few signs of progress after European foreign ministers met their Iranian counterpart on June 20 in a bid to prevent conflict in the Middle East from escalating, although all signalled readiness to keep talking, despite major sticking points. The foreign ministers of Germany, Britain, France - known as the E3 - plus the EU, urged Iran to engage with the United States over its contentious nuclear programme even as Tehran has repeatedly insisted it will not open discussions with the Trump administration until Israeli strikes on Iran end. The talks aimed to test Tehran's willingness to negotiate a new nuclear deal despite there being no obvious prospect of Israel ceasing its attacks soon, diplomats said. 'The Iranian Foreign Minister has expressed his willingness to continue discussions on the nuclear programme and more broadly on all issues, and we expect Iran to commit to the discussion, including with the United States, to reach a negotiated settlement,' said French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot. For his part, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said Iran was ready to consider diplomacy once Israel had ceased its attacks and been held accountable for its actions. 'In this regard, I made it crystal clear that Iran's defence capabilities are not negotiable,' he said, following the talks lasting around three hours in Geneva. No date for a follow-up meeting was announced despite Europeans underscoring the small window for diplomacy. US President Donald Trump has said he will decide within two weeks whether to join the Israeli strikes intended to smash Tehran's nuclear capacity. European ministers spoke beforehand with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio who signalled Washington was open to direct talks even as it mulls the strikes, diplomatic sources said. Washington did not confirm that, though broadcaster CNN quoted a US official saying Mr Trump supported diplomacy by allies that could bring Iran closer to a deal. Britain's foreign minister David Lammy said the European countries were eager to continue talks with Iran. 'This is a perilous moment, and it is hugely important that we don't see regional escalation of this conflict,' he said. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi leaving after his meeting in Geneva with the foreign ministers of Germany, Britain, France - known as the E3 - plus the EU. PHOTO: AFP Two European diplomats said the E3 did not believe that Israel would accept a ceasefire in the near term and that it would be difficult for Iran and the US to resume negotiations. They said the idea was to begin a parallel negotiating track, initially without the US, on a new deal that would involve tougher inspections, and potentially on Iran's ballistic missile programme, while allowing Tehran some notional enrichment capacity. Enrichment differences The Trump administration is demanding Iran stop uranium enrichment altogether, whereas the E3 have in past talks left it some scope to enrich for civil ends in exchange for extremely strict international inspections. On June 20, French President Emmanuel Macron shifted closer to Mr Trump's position, saying that any new deal with Tehran needed to go towards zero enrichment. A senior Iranian official told Reuters Iran is ready to discuss limitations on its uranium enrichment but said the prospect of zero enrichment would undoubtedly be rejected. In a speech at the United Nations in Geneva before the E3 meeting, Mr Araqchi accused Israel of a 'betrayal of diplomacy', while Israel's envoy in Geneva raised a 'vehement objection' to the minister addressing the UN's Human Rights Council. Geneva was the scene of an initial accord between Iran and world powers to curb its nuclear programme in return for sanctions lifting in 2013 before a comprehensive deal in 2015. Separate talks between Iran and the US collapsed when Israel launched what it called Operation Rising Lion against Iran's nuclear facilities and ballistic capabilities on June 13. France's Mr Barrot spoke to Mr Rubio on June 19, during which Mr Rubio said Washington was ready for direct contact with the Iranians, a diplomatic source said. The Europeans wanted to make clear to Iran that the US is ready for direct talks, but that Iran must give a serious signal, two diplomats said, without defining what that could be. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
2 hours ago
- Straits Times
Panama temporarily suspends some constitutional guarantees in protest-rocked province
Riot police use tear gas to disperse demonstrators during an operation to clear roadblocks set up by protesters as part of a widespread strike by workers of the Chiquita banana company, which had ceased operations in the area, and are part of broader protests against social security reforms, in Bocas del Toro, Panama, June 14, 2025, in this still image taken from video. Reuters TV/via REUTERS A worker uses a front loader to clear a roadblock set up by protesters as part of a widespread strike by workers of the Chiquita banana company, which had ceased operations in the area, and are part of broader protests against social security reforms, in Bocas del Toro, Panama, June 14, 2025, in this still image taken from video. Reuters TV/via REUTERS Riot police arrive to clear a roadblock set up by protesters as part of a widespread strike by workers of the Chiquita banana company, which had ceased operations in the area, and are part of broader protests against social security reforms, in Bocas del Toro, Panama, June 14, 2025, in this still image taken from video. Reuters TV/via REUTERS A detained demonstrator is loaded into a police vehicle during an operation by the police to clear roadblocks set up by protesters as part of a widespread strike by workers of the Chiquita banana company, which had ceased operations in the area, and are part of broader protests against social security reforms, in Bocas del Toro, Panama, June 14, 2025, in this still image taken from video. Reuters TV/via REUTERS PANAMA CITY - Panama's government on Friday temporarily suspended some constitutional rights in the western province of Bocas del Toro hours after businesses and government offices were ransacked, following more than a month of protests and road blocks over a pension reform law. "In the face of the disruption of order and acts of systematic violence, the state will enforce its constitutional mandate to guarantee peace," said Juan Carlos Orillac, minister of the presidency. The measure will be in place for five days, he said. The government said the situation in Bocas del Toro had "escalated dangerously" after the violence on Thursday. Nationwide, protesters - backed by unions and Indigenous groups - have faced off with authorities over a pension reform law passed in March. Confrontations have been particularly intense in Bocas del Toro, largely led by workers at a local Chiquita banana plantation. Chiquita called the workers' strike an "unjustified abandonment of work" and sacked thousands of employees. Those workers ultimately withdrew from the protests after they were able to negotiate the restoration of some benefits that had been removed under the March pension reform. Still, the government has said road blocks in Bocas del Toro have yet to be lifted, though it did not directly attribute them to the Chiquita workers. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
3 hours ago
- Straits Times
There are indications Israel breached EU agreement, bloc's foreign policy arm says
BRUSSELS - The European Union's diplomatic service said on Friday there are indications that Israel has breached its human rights obligations under the terms of a pact governing its ties with the bloc, according to a document seen by Reuters. Citing assessments by independent international institutions, the European External Action Service said "there are indications that Israel would be in breach of its human rights obligations under Article 2 of the EU-Israel Association Agreement". The report comes after months of deepening concern in European capitals about Israel's operations in Gaza and the humanitarian situation in the enclave. "Israel's continued restrictions to the provision of food, medicines, medical equipment, and other vital supplies affect the entire population of Gaza present on the affected territory," the document said. The EU's top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, announced in May that the bloc would examine whether Israel is complying with the terms of its pact with the bloc, after over half of EU members backed conducting a review. Under the agreement, which came into force in 2000, the EU and Israel agreed that their relationship 'shall be based on respect for human rights and democratic principles". Israel has said that it respects international law and that operations in Gaza are necessary to destroy Hamas, the Palestinian group responsible for the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks on Israel. Israel's mission to the EU did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The new document includes a section dedicated to the situation in Gaza, covering issues related to denial of humanitarian aid, attacks with a significant number of casualties, attacks on hospitals and medical facilities, displacement, and lack of accountability. The report also looks at the situation in the West Bank, including settler violence. The document relies on "facts verified by and assessments made by independent international institutions, and with a focus on most recent events in Gaza and the West Bank," it said. The review was proposed in early May by Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp, who had raised concerns about Israeli policies 'exacerbating an already dire humanitarian situation'. EU foreign ministers are set to discuss the review during a gathering in Brussels on Monday. Member countries remain divided in their approach to Israel. While some ministers could advocate for moving toward taking action based on the review, no concrete decisions are expected at Monday's session. Diplomats expect EU officials will reach out to Israel with the outcome of the review in an effort to influence its behaviour, and that ministers will return to the subject during a meeting with July. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
