PkD

Muamar Reyes (40/?)

Our government recently introduced a new social media ban, under the guise of "protecting the children". The new legislation passed in 2024 and began rolling out November 2025, requiring platforms to proactively ensure no one under 16 is using their platforms.

The Australian government is issuing fines of up to $49.5 million AUD ($32m USD or £24.5m GBP) per breach to platforms not in compliance.

Platforms like TikTok, IG, FB, and Snapchat started banning users under 16, and requiring users they suspect of being under 16 to prove their age. Some platforms required users to link their bank account or government ID to their accounts, and some provided the option of using... AI to scan your face lol.

As you can imagine, this ban has not actually worked to keep kids from using social media. That aside, this feels like a huge breach of privacy for the rest of us. We shouldn’t need to give our biometric data or government IDs to these companies; as we know from the Discord debacle, it's not safe in their hands.

This context is important because this PornHub block is PornHub's parent company Aylo protesting these new laws:

“Aylo’s video sharing platforms will be restricting access to adult material before the deadline on March 9th,” the spokesperson said. “Australia is following a similar approach to the UK, which all our evidence shows does not effectively protect minors, and instead creates harms relating to data privacy and exposure to illegal content on non-compliant platforms.” (x)

Note: It's not just PornHub content we're blocked from. It's all the major porn sites owned by Aylo including RedTube and YouPorn. There is zero doubt in my mind that a bunch of these politicians who pushed this social media bans use these sites and Aylo would know that too.

PornHub absolutely deserves to be critcised for a variety of truly horrific issues (including distributing CSAM and NCSM and profiting from sex trafficking), but in this specific case of blocking Australians from accessing its sites, I would argue this protest has been effective. I've been going through local subs on Reddit and there are Australians who didn’t even know about the new social media legislation until they realised they couldn’t access PornHub. People who didn’t care about the social media laws because they assumed it only effected kids, are suddenly realising this effects all of us.

So yes, it does sorta suck that PornHub has blocked us, but there are ways around the block, and hey, it’s an intentional “fuck you” to the Australian government.

She looks so good! Wearing @pinkyjulien's 5th element fit

The foolish little girl, the witch, the mother, the goddess