The standoff between Arcom and pornographic websites is nearing its final stage. The digital watchdog has issued a formal notice to five major platforms, including Xvideos and Xhamster. They have three weeks to implement a real age verification system or face being blocked in France.
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A Three-Week Ultimatum
Arcom is escalating its efforts. Following an initial warning letter in June, the regulator formalized this Monday a “formal notice” against five of the largest pornographic sites accessible in France: Xnxx, Xvideos, Xhamster, Xhamsterlive, and Tnaflix.
These platforms, based in Cyprus or the Czech Republic, now have three weeks to comply with French law which mandates an “effective” age verification system to protect minors. If they fail to do so, Arcom will proceed with the next steps: delisting from search engines and blocking by internet service providers. This is a drastic measure, although as often happens, a VPN or a change of DNS can easily bypass these blocks.
A Decision Following a State Victory
This aggressive move by Arcom did not come out of the blue. It follows a key decision by the Council of State just a few weeks ago. In mid-July, France’s highest administrative court sided with the government by reinstating an order that requires European sites to comply with French law.
Empowered by this victory, the digital watchdog now has free rein to enforce the law to its fullest extent.
Meanwhile, Pornhub Remains Inaccessible
This new development is part of an ongoing conflict that has lasted over a year between the French state and the pornographic industry.
If the five sites currently facing formal notices have so far ignored the authorities’ demands, others have chosen a different path. The industry giant, Aylo, decided to make its own sites (Pornhub, Youporn…) inaccessible from France, as a protest against a law it considers dangerous to its users’ privacy.
What’s the Takeaway?
Arcom is baring its teeth. After years of legal battles, the regulator seems determined to utilize the new powers granted by the law. The threat of total blockage is a powerful deterrent that could force non-compliant sites to fold.
It’s a war of attrition. On one side, the French state, determined to enforce control to protect minors. On the other, an industry fighting to maintain its business model based on free and anonymous access. The question is who will fold first: will the sites under notice comply, or will they follow Pornhub’s example and exit the French market? It’s regrettable that this comes at a time when viable, concerted technical solutions for a simple and uniform age verification tool across Europe are still not in place. What do you think, is blocking these sites an effective solution to protect minors?
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