“I’ll say it loud and clear: we don’t want minors on our platforms.” In a newspaper interview the parisian, Solomon Friedman returned to the threats to block several pornographic sites in France. The MindGeek boss is directly concerned as his company owns some of the biggest domain names in the industry, including Pornhub and YouPorn.
A lawyer for 15 years, but also a rabbi, the partner of the investment fund Ethical Capital Partners inherited the adult sites in a registered acquisition at the beginning of the year. But also the legal problems they face. The Paris court postponed its decision on whether or not to block five pornographic sites on July 7.
At the center of the conflict, the age verification of users of various sites: Pornhub, XVideos, XHamster, Porndig and Xnxx. Arcom wants to do away with the simple declarative click on the “I am over 18” insert. A wish that is based on a law of July 2020.
Start a global update
But for three years now, porn professionals have been calling for a technical repository to implement more effective filtering. However, the document, which should provide a framework for age verification solutions, was promised in February 2023 but is still pending.
But the MindGeek boss has a solution that would verify the age of all phone users: ask smartphone manufacturers to do it for him. According to Solomon Friedman, “they could roll out a global update overnight, it’s technically feasible.”
Thus, phones could be transformed into “adult devices”. After a photo of your face and your ID, Apple and its competitors validate most smartphone ownership. Then, the principle of age verification by a trusted third party is applied.
Comply with local laws
Referring the issue to phone manufacturers, it addresses solutions currently being tested for which “the issue continues to be the use of trusted third parties collecting personal information,” Solomon Friedman notes.
He argues that these companies already have proof of the majority or not of a person, in particular by storing bank information and other data. Above all, it has a solution to access the Internet for adults instead of porn sites.
After threatening to leave France in the event of a blockade, Solomon Friedman detailed his statements. Ensuring respect for local laws, he admits that a legal attack will be made on the decision if it is deemed unfair. “However, we refuse to collect personal data to unlock access to our sites,” he warns. This request was made by the US states of Utah and Mississippi. MindGeek’s adult sites have since been withdrawn from these two territories.
Source: BFM TV
