German authorities are forcing ISPs to DNS block major porn sites, like Pornhub, that do not use strict age verification systems.
Porn has lived on the internet since forever. Since then, countries have tried shutting it down. However, none of their attempts worked. Now, Germany is the latest country to try blocking porn sites in the country.
Germany vs. Porn
Gizmodo reports that Germany wants internet service providers to block big porn sites that don’t check for visitors’ ages. These sites include major ones like Pornhub and YouPorn.
German regulators are trying to block porn sites to thwart horny teens https://t.co/gVOQ6O5V30 pic.twitter.com/yipLIZhAEQ
— Gizmodo (@Gizmodo) October 26, 2020
Under German law, porn sites should deny access to people below 18 years old. However, Germany wants to chase sites that do not verify visitors’ ages. German authorities also want to apply stricter systems to check visitors’ ages.
Motherboard reports that German authorities are forcing ISPs like Vodafone and Deutsche Telekom to block Pornhub and YouPorn. These ISPs should launch a DNS block on these sites.
Germany’s Target Sites
The report also says that Germany is targeting only a few major porn sites. With this, anyone can just go to smaller sites for porn. However, authorities say they just want kids to avoid learning about “abnormal sexual practices.”
Industry Response
Alex Hawkins, vice president of xHamster, said that he agrees with protecting minors from online adult content. However, he disagreed with Germany’s plans. Hawkins said the plan would just censor the big sites, while leaving the smaller ones untouched. Moreover, Hawkins said this approach would not protect minors. They’d just go to another site that doesn’t check their ages.
