network lock
“Porn is not a children’s program” – “xHamster” is blocked in Germany
Locked out: “xHamster”.
© M. Woike / Picture Alliance
The five largest German internet providers have to block the porn portal “xHamster”. The operators had previously failed to protect the site from access by minors.
Off for “xHamster”, Germany’s most popular porn website according to Similarweb. In the proceedings against the porn portal, the Commission for the Protection of Young Persons in the Media (KJM) decided unanimously that access to the site from Germany must be blocked. In a first step, the five largest German Internet providers, in any case Telekom, Vodafone, 1&1 and o2, must block access to xHamster.
The reason is simple: the operators of the porn platform failed to adequately protect the site from access by minors, even after several instructions. This violates the Youth Media Protection State Treaty (JMStV) and is therefore illegal.
No problem for adults
dr Marc Jan Eumann, Chairman of the Commission, explains: “Porn is not a children’s programme. Our legal mandate is to protect children and young people from content that does not correspond to their level of development. Pornography poses a significant threat to their mental and sexual development. A Porn offers for adults are not a problem as long as technical protective measures ensure the legal standards for the protection of children and young people.”
+++ Also read: Undercover in the deletion team from the porn site: “You can’t judge whether a person is 17 or 19” +++
The blocking, for which the providers will receive notices from the state media authorities in the coming days, is only the beginning. The KJM argues: “The blocking of a portal with such a large reach has a signal effect. If the wide-ranging providers implement youth protection, smaller providers will follow. Otherwise we will also take action against these providers. The procedures are complex, but when it comes to protecting children and young people, we are very persistent.”
Pornhub, Youporn and Co. on the hit list
As early as December 2021, the administrative court in Düsseldorf gave the media authority the go-ahead to block the major porn sites, including xHamster, Pornhub and Youporn. The blocking of Germany’s most popular site for sex movies could only be the beginning of a whole series of blocks. The KJM describes today’s step as a “strong beginning”.
It remains to be seen how the operators of xHamster, but also the owners of the other websites, will deal with the blocks. The commission has meanwhile assessed more than 80 age verification systems as suitable – so there is probably no lack of choice if you want to operate the websites in accordance with the law in Germany.
Sex film against person
For adults, this would mean that to access the porn websites, you would need a verified customer account, which you would need to register at least once with your ID. The hurdle of doing so, and the removal of the anonymity of visiting such sites, is likely to hurt the industry badly.
swell: KJM, Caschy’s blog