Pornhub says it will lock UK users out, but is there more than meets the eye?

By Frank Hersey ( January 30, 2026, 17:09 GMT | Comment) -- Pornhub operator Aylo this week made perhaps the loudest cry yet for a shift in the UK to age checks for adult content to be handled at the device level, not by online platforms themselves. It won't have fallen on deaf ears at the online safety regulator, Ofcom, but while tech is evolving in this space, Aylo and Ofcom alike know it's not ready to meet the requirements of UK online safety law. So what else might be behind the porn provider's move to block new UK users?The world's largest pornography platform operator warned this week that it would start blocking new users in the UK — insisting it would “no longer participate in the failed system” established by the country's developing online safety regime. The question is what to make of the threat....

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Pornhub says it will lock UK users out, but is there more than meets the eye?

Prepare for tomorrow’s regulatory change, today

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