Pornhub Will Block New UK Users Starting Next Week to Protest ‘Flawed’ ID Law

Pornhub is blocking itself in the United Kingdom on February 2, arguing that the country’s age verification laws are ineffective, the company announced on Tuesday.

As of February 2, only users who have already registered with Pornhub and completed age verification will be able to access the site. New users will not be able to register.

The move comes after a new set of provisions aimed at keeping minors from viewing porn kicked in last July, requiring adults to submit to age-estimating face scans, ID document uploads, credit card checks, and more, in order to verify that they are not minors.

Pornhub said its traffic from UK users dropped 77 percent after the Online Safety Act kicked in.

But in a presentation Tuesday, the company said many porn sites have not complied with the laws, rendering them useless.

“We believe we can no longer participate in the flawed system ...