Florida sues porn sites over age verification
Why it matters: He's going after XVideos, the second most popular porn site in the world, eight months after the most popular site, PornHub, blocked Florida users over the same law.
The websites mentioned in the lawsuit are Xvideos.com, XNXX.com, BangBros.com, GirlsGoneWild.com and TrafficFactory.com.
Catch up quick: Gov. Ron DeSantis signed HB 3 last year, which, in part, requires pornographic websites to implement "either anonymous age verification or standard age verification."
PornHub blocked access to its site in Florida on New Year's Day in protest of the law, writing that it puts "everybody's privacy at risk."
The Free Speech Coalition challenged the law in court, arguing it burdens adults who want to access the websites "without fear of surveillance," but dropped its challenge after the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a similar law in Texas.
Zoom in: Uthmeier accused the companies of "openly" defying the law even after receiving in April letters from his office threatening legal action for noncompliance.
XVideos.com and XNXX.com attract an estimated 34 million visits from Florida a month, according to the lawsuit.
The complaint pointed out that XVideos.com has a banner atop its main page that calls age verification a "SCAM" and directs users to a blog post that says "we're witnessing censorship disguised as protection."
What they're saying: " As a father of young children, and as Attorney General, this is completely unacceptable," Uthmeier said in a statement, accusing the companies of "preying" on children for financial gain.
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