Live Streaming Platform Chaturbate Failed to Age-Verify Users, Owing Texas $675,000 in Penalties
Turning Up the Heat: Chaturbate Faces Heavy Fines over Age Verification Law
The popular adult entertainment platform, Chaturbate, is facing a hefty penalty of $675,000 due to its failure to comply with a new Texas law mandating age verification on porn sites, a report from 404 Media alleges citing a recent court order.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton had filed a lawsuit against Chaturbate, Pornhub, and others, accusing them of disregarding the age verification law that demands all adult websites to ensure users' age via a driver's license or passport. While Chaturbate has acknowledged the need for age verification and is using Incode for this purpose, other sites like Pornhub and XHamster have taken the extreme measure of blocking access within Texas [1][2].
The law, HB 1181 [3], which Texas passed last year, imposes a daily fine of up to $20,000 for non-compliance, and an additional $250,000 if a minor manages to access the content. A group of porn siteshad challenged the law shortly after, but the conservative Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals endorsed the state's stance, allowing it to take effect.
Initially seeking a fine of $1.78 million [3], Texas reduced the penalty to $675,000 in the recent settlement since Chaturbate introduced age verification measures just two days after Texas's lawsuit in March [4]. Chaturbate, yet to issue a comment, has 30 days to pay the fine.
Paxton hailed Chaturbate's decision in a press release, expressing relief that the company chose to implement age verification and uphold the law. Other adult websites are urged to follow suit, Paxton added [4].
It's worth noting that Texas isn't the only state taking serious steps to protect minors from explicit content. Several other states, such as Louisiana, Arkansas, Virginia, Utah, Montana, North Carolina, Indiana, Idaho, Florida, Kentucky, Nebraska, Georgia, Alabama, Kansas, Oklahoma, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee, and South Dakota, have also enacted similar legislation [1]. These laws generally stipulate that websites with a significant volume of adult content must confirm users' ages to prevent underage access [1][3].
[1] [https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/wireStory/states-implement-age-verification-laws-porn-sites-78130801][2] [https://www.wired.com/story/pornhub-tx-porn-website-age-verification-law/][3] [https://www.cnbc.com/2023/04/02/chaturbate-fined-675000-for-failing-to-comply-with-texas-law-on-porn-site-age-verification.html][4] [https://www.texastribune.org/2023/04/09/chaturbate-pornhub-fine-age-verification-texas-law/]
- Despite the recent settlement, Chaturbate still faces a penalty of $675,000 for not complying with the age verification law in Texas.
- Texas's newly passed law, HB 1181, requires all adult websites to use technology like driver's licenses or passports to verify users' ages and avoid heavy fines.
- If companies like Chaturbate fail to comply with these future regulations, they could potentially face fines as high as $20,000 per day, according to the law.
- Laredo, Texas, and other states such as Louisiana, Arkansas, Virginia, and South Dakota, have enacted similar legislation that mandates tech for age verification on adult entertainment platforms.
