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European Union adds porn site XXNX to list of internet platforms subject to strictest digital controls

Posted on by darion

LONDON — The European Union said Wednesday it had added pornography website XXNX to a list of online services that face the strictest scrutiny under the bloc’s digital rules, including measures requiring users to prove their age.

It is the fourth porn site to be classified as a “very large internet platform” that, under the European Union’s pioneering Digital Services Act, must comply with additional obligations to ensure the safety of internet users.

Pornhub, XVideos and Stripchat have also been targeted by the set of rules, known as the DSA, along with 21 major platforms and search engines such as TikTok, Amazon, Facebook, Instagram and Google. The DSA, which came into force last year, is Brussels’ flagship legislation aimed at protecting internet users from illegal content and questionable products under threat of hefty fines.

The European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, said in a prepared statement that it was including XXNX because it has 45 million European users, which is the threshold for increased scrutiny. The commission said XXNX must comply with additional measures by November, including preventing minors from accessing online pornography through age-verification tools, providing researchers with access to publicly available data and publishing an advertising database.

“XNXX must also duly assess and mitigate any systemic risks arising from its services, such as risks related to the dissemination of illegal content or negative impacts on the mental and physical health of users,” the commission said.

Attempts to contact XXNX for comment were unsuccessful as the media contact form on the website was not working.

Violation of the DSA is punishable by fines of up to 6% of global revenues and even a ban in the EU.

Last month, the commission asked Pornhub (which is disputing its DSA status), XVideos and Stripchat for more details about the measures they take to protect minors from accessing the content they create.