EU Expands Scope of New Rules to Include Pornhub and XVideos, Alongside Apple and Google
STOCKHOLM: The European Union on Wednesday added three adult content companies – Pornhub, Stripchat and XVideos – to its list of companies subject to tough new online content rules.
The new rules, known as the Digital Services Act (DSA), require companies to implement risk management, external and independent auditing, and share data with authorities and researchers.
In April, the EU named five Alphabet subsidiaries, two Meta Platforms units, two Microsoft businesses, X and Alibaba among the 19 companies under the AliExpress rules.
Such designated companies must do more to combat disinformation, provide more protection and choice for users, and ensure stronger protections for children or face fines of up to 6 percent of their global turnover.
“Pornhub, Stripchat and XVideos meet user limits to be subject to stricter #DSA obligations,” the bloc’s industry director Thierry Breton said. “Creating a safer online environment for our children is a priority for DSA enforcement.”
While the big tech companies had users above the 45 million mark to be designated as very large online platforms (VLOPs), Canada’s Pornhub said it had an average of 33 million monthly users as of July 31, below the required level.
The designation can be based not only on user numbers reported by the company, but also on information obtained from third parties or alternative sources, a senior commission official said.
The commission can make the designation if it is reasonably certain that such companies will meet the threshold, the official added, speaking on condition of anonymity.
XVideos had previously said that it has 160 million users in the EU. Stripchat claims to have over 500 million users worldwide.
XVideos and Stripchat did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Several governments, including Germany, France, and the United Kingdom, have tried to crack down on porn sites by requiring local regulations.
Within four months of designation, Pornhub, XVideos and Stripchat must take steps to protect online users, including minors, and mitigate systemic risks posed by their services, the commission said in a statement.
