Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has launched a lawsuit against Aylo, the parent company of Pornhub. The lawsuit, filed in Travis County District Court, accuses the company of failing to uphold state-level age verification laws on its platform and associated sites. In addition to seeking substantial damages under a law that was initially deemed unconstitutional, the case also cites Aylo for failing to display health warnings regarding sexual materials, a requirement under Texas law HB 1181.
The legal action comes amid a broader push for stricter age verification on adult content sites in Texas and across the United States. Texas law HB 1181 necessitates that adult content sites either develop their own methods or use a third-party service to collect information, such as a government-issued ID, to prevent minors from accessing explicit content. Aylo, formerly known as MindGeek, reportedly added health warnings related to sexual materials last year, though the company is also accused of not maintaining this practice.
The company Aylo has faced mounting political and regulatory challenges, with state-level restrictions imposed in the US, including Louisiana and Texas, and outright bans in North Carolina and Montana. Globally, the European Union recently classed Pornhub as a “Very Large Online Platform,” requiring regulation under the Digital Services Act. Age verification for pornographic content in the UK is a continuing area of focus for the regulatory body Ofcom. Texas law HB 1181 imposes fines of $10,000 per day for violations, alongside a potential lump sum of up to $1.6 million, charges which could impact Pornhub’s future financial feasibility in the state. Aylo has declined to comment on the lawsuit.