French court postpones decision to block Pornhub

French court postponed the decision on blocking Pornhub until the highest administrative court rules on the procedure for blocking such sites.

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According to a decision seen by l’Informé, a French court has postponed its decision on whether to block Pornhub. The postponement is due to awaiting the ruling of the country’s highest administrative court on the procedure for blocking such sites.

Since 2021, there has been a legal dispute regarding age verification between porn industries, including Pornhub, and the audiovisual and platforms regulator Arcom. French senators supported a bill that would grant Arcom the authority to compel internet service providers to block adult websites that fail to ensure users are over 18 without requiring approval from a judge. The bill is expected to undergo further scrutiny in the National Assembly before being enacted as law.

In 2020, France became one of the first countries to force adult websites to block online access to minors. But it has had limited success. Porn companies, including Pornhub, have challenged the law in French courts on the grounds that it is technically unenforceable and would be a breach of privacy.