Major porn site blocks North Carolina users, urging them to oppose new state law

The second most-visited porn site in the world is blocking North Carolina users ahead of a state law set to take effect Monday. 

The legislation requires any company that distributes sexually explicit material to verify that the viewer is 18 years or older by using a commercially available database, according to the Associated Press. 

Similar laws have passed in Louisiana, Arkansas, Montana, Mississippi, Utah, Virginia and Texas, Politico reports.  

But Pornhub says it’s not playing along. 

The site’s homepage redirects at least some local users to a message that urges people to contact their representatives to oppose the new law. 

“Until a real solution is offered, we have made the difficult decision to completely disable access to our website in North Carolina,” the message reads in part. 

Pornhub says that without proper enforcement of the law, website traffic will be driven to platforms with fewer safety measures.

The porn-sharing site advocates instead for companies to allow age-restricted materials by device-based verification. 

Reporter Taylor Shook can be reached at tshook@gannett.com.