[bikeformind]

Let’s play the unintended downstream consequences of misguided policy game…

No fapper in their right mind is submitting their ID to pornhub to have a wank.

This will just drive users to smaller, shadier sites that don’t comply with local regulations.

These sites will contain more harmful or exploitative content, and their increased traffic will incentivize and facilitate a continued cycle of exploitation and abuse.

[iinnPP]

You sound like a conspiracy theorist /s

No, you sound like you took 1 + 1 and arrived at 2.

That is precisely what will happen. It will also undoubtedly increase piracy.

I don't buy that anyone is this stupid. They must have a (bad)poll telling them this is the best action to maintain power.

[mywittyname]

I feel like this will eventually become an "everybody poops"-type thing. Kind of like how it's expected that people will share nudes with their partner, thus if they've had multiple partners, former partners are expected to have some. Lots of people watch porn.

I'm more concerned with the precedent that this sets. Given the "interstate" nature of online commerce, I would think that this law is not enforceable, but given the current makeup of SCOTUS, it might stand for the next 50-100 years. Once a ruling goes through allowing for this type of regulations, I would expect a patchwork of laws to effectively de-anonymize the entire internet.

Since VPNs can be used to ignore these regulations, the next step is to write laws that regulate VPNs. Thus, the government will have a one-stop-shop for finding all of the "bad" things a person is doing. Since payments for like 99.9% of users will be easily traceable to an individual, this will turn VPNs into a honeypot of sorts. Sure, hardened criminals can find ways around this, but I don't think small-town police are too concerned with going after criminals that are out of their league, this is more about projecting power over the locals.

[dogleash]

> Given the "interstate" nature of online commerce, I would think that this law is not enforceable

What legal distinction do you draw to separate enforceability of this law from any other law regarding a business providing a service in a different jurisdiction than headquartered?

>I'm more concerned with the precedent that this sets.

International Shoe was decided decades before the internet was invented. I don't really see the novelty of this scenario when the website in question offers a paid subscription service to customers in Louisiana.

[starkd]

minors are less likely to sign up for a vpn service.

[mywittyname]

Why? Most VPN services accept crypto and other forms of payment.

They can share accounts with their friends, use their parents credit cards, get their own debit cards (I had one a 14), or even using a pre-paid CC (I've not tried it, but I think it works). It's so easy to get access to a VPN as a minor.

Also, the biggest selling point of VPNs is the ability to watch streaming services in other countries. So it's not a hard sell to parents.

[iinnPP]

I can confirm that a prepaid CC can purchase a VPN sub, even good ones.

[starkd]

yes, I know. It is just another point of friction to overcome. Most parents do not want their children exposed to sexual content.

[birdman3131]

Hey parents I want a pixel phone.

Why?

Because my friend likes theirs. (Mentally: Because it has a built-in vpn.)

[starkd]

Parents should be aware of what their children are doing online. If not, they are negligent.

[SauciestGNU]

To an extent sure. Parents should also realize that adolescent youth will seek out pornography, and that's normal and not necessarily unhealthy.

[ArtemZ]

> No fapper in their right mind is submitting their ID to pornhub to have a wank.

How come so? People literally pay for porn content with their credit cards which is a form of identification too. I don't see a problem with showing your id for accessing quality content.

[jehb]

Not the minors who this law is supposed to "protect" - they will be the ones driven to shadier locations for their consumption.

[iinnPP]

I realize not everywhere is like this, but the internet kind of makes the point moot anyway.

I can get a prepaid CC attached to any address I want using cash at a cameraless location. Or I can alter my gait and put on a mask and ignore cameras.

When used(value of $2 or less) the card makes for a superb trial abuse method for things like Netflix.

[SketchySeaBeast]

Yeah, they can try all they want but they aren't stopping a teenage boy from finding smut. Pornhub has, at least lately, developed a veneer of trying to be responsible as far as exploitation is concerned. The ones that are trying to play by the rules will be punished.

[browningstreet]

Jimmy Kimmel did a parody last night called, "PornHUD". It's on Youtube.

[candiodari]

But just think of using a VPN, then submitting the ID of a teacher ...

[gjsman-1000]

A. Don’t let perfect be the enemy of good.

B. Criminally investigate noncompliance.

[SketchySeaBeast]

When you say "good" what are you referring to here? Because limiting access by ways of privacy invading policies seems to be just "bad".

[sambull]

The nature of it would require the cajun firewall of freedom. The firewall will need to prevent people from accessing stuff they aren't allowed to, maybe even block vpns.

[throw_pm23]

Maybe some users will switch to more beneficial activities instead.

[ryanianian]

"Hugs not drugs" has not caused a rush on the hug market.

[throw_pm23]

Was it always so widely accessible? What did people do when it wasn't?

[Manuel_D]

Pornography has historically been about as accessible as any other form of media. At first it was limited to hand-drawn on paper [1] (just like any other content before the printing press). Woodblock and later cooper-plate printing made it easier to mass produce (just like everything else). Photography was almost immediately used to produce pornography, as was motion picture film. And of course, the internet made it drastically easier to distribute digitally.

In short, pornography has always followed the existing means of media production and distribution.

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turin_Erotic_Papyrus

[throw_pm23]

I agree with you, but quantity takes on a quality of its own.

By analogy, sweet fruits and honey have been around and universally enjoyed since the dawn of time.

Yet, guzzling down gallons of high-fructose-corn-syrup each day is relatively new and has made half of the population obese.

[donatj]

I grew up in the 80's/90's and there was a whole trade system in school.

Swapping magazines and VHS tapes.

It's not a new thing.

[jstarfish]

There is an inherent rate-limiting in trading anything with others. Physical media gets lost/confiscated and you can only re-read the same magazine so many times before you get bored and move on.

Nobody invited you to an endless all-you-can-watch telethon of fresh content. That's where we are today.

[throw_pm23]

It is not new, but it is plausible that through wide availability and deliberate exploitation of addictive behaviour ("Mindgeek"?) it has recently reached a state where it may tear society apart.

[donatj]

I think to argue that pornography alone is tearing society apart is a massive over statement.

Caused some overly-inflated expectations in the bedroom sure. Destroyed society? Nah

[zirgs]

But those magazines were/tapes were way more tamer than what we have now.

Kids can access extreme porn with a few clicks easily. Something is definitely wrongh here.

[version_five]

Good thought. Louisiana could simultaneously legalize prostitution and incentivize people to go out and interact with actual other humans instead of sitting at home watching porn.

[hasbot]

Man, imagine that. Overnight Louisiana would be become a major tourist destination. Mardi Gras would be off the hook!

[mgbmtl]

I agree it's 100% silly conservative BS, but let's be honest: Pornhub are absolutely terrible at complying with laws.

Anyone who uploads something illegal (childporn, non-fantasy rape videos, or stolen nudes) must be held accountable. And if they can't find who is accountable, then Pornhub should be accountable.

The other thing they will not do, is have a rating system for porn. Extreme porn should not be promoted to the front page. I'm not talking about when the UK considered facesitting to be "extreme". It could be determined by a neutral panel or whatnot. Then uploaders can set a rating, users can suggest a different rating, and users can change their rating filter. That way, teens exploring porn don't go from a casual gonzo, to something really extreme, in just a few clicks. It's better UX too, because I've talked about this with people, and many do watch porn, but they hate stumbling on something they consider gross (sorry to generalize, but women in particular tend to be more sensitive, and somewhat understandably since it's usually gross towards women).

Instead, PornHub repeatedly argue that everyone has their kinks. They do, but it's not a valid excuse for doing nothing.

[nmz]

I disagree on this, I've been on websites where I've stumbled on CP right there on the suggestion box, this has never happened to me on pornhub.

[pjc50]

> is have a rating system for porn

Not an unreasonable suggestion, but definitely going to run into unreasonable people who want everything to be rated "bad" (as you've seen with the UK nonsense)