Irish Senator's Age Verification Bill Aims at U.S.-Style Chilling Effect on Porn

Irish Senator's Age Verification Bill Aims at U.S.-Style Chilling Effect on Porn

DUBLIN — The Senate of the Republic of Ireland — known by its Gaelic name Seanad Éireann — has scheduled a hearing for Thursday to debate the country’s proposed Protection of Children (Online Age Verification) Bill.

Senator Rónán Mullen introduced the legislation earlier this month, and it is now scheduled for a second reading.

The bill is co-sponsored by fellow Independent Senators Michael McDowell, Sharon Keogan and Gerard Craughwell, and three Government Senators, Fianna Fáil’s Erin McGreehan, Diarmuid Wilson and Aidan Davitt, the Irish Gript news site reported.

Mullen claimed that his bill, which replicates the language of similar measures drafted by U.S. and U.K. anti-porn crusaders, is needed to address “widespread public concern about the proliferation of pornographic material freely available on the internet, and about the damage that this can do to children and their families.”

Mullen specifically cited U.S. states’ age verification laws and hailed as a victory the fact that their imprecise language, which has already had a chilling effect on free speech, led porn companies like Pornhub to stop providing services in those states.

Mullen’s proposal “establishes an obligation on internet service providers and app store services to ensure that persons under 18 shall not be able to access pornographic material online,” the Gript report explained. “Website controllers and app store service providers putting up pornographic material must require users to go through an age verification process, and the bill provides that the Minister for Media may prescribe a list or class of documents that can be acceptable for that purpose.”

The bill makes platforms and app stores liable if they fail to implement age verification, unless they can prove that a user attempted to bypass the process.

According to the bill, those services will have to store the age verification data they collect for five years. The bill also states that the data may be accessed for legal proceedings.

Mullen urged people, “especially but not exclusively concerned parents, to contact the Government and other parties and ask them to support this bill.”

Main Image: Irish Senator Rónán Mullen

Copyright © 2025 Adnet Media. All Rights Reserved. XBIZ is a trademark of Adnet Media.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited.

More News

Paysite 'RealGirlsFuck' Relaunches as 'Taboolu.com'

Producer/performer Josh Lewis has relaunched his paysite, RealGirlsFuck, as Taboolu.com.

JuicyAds Launches Summer Advertiser/Publisher Promo

JuicyAds has launched a summer promotion for advertisers and publishers.

FSC to Honor Board Chair Jeffrey Douglas for 30 Years of Leadership

The Free Speech Coalition (FSC) will honor board chair Jeffrey Douglas for his 30 years of service to the industry at an event on June 27.

AEBN Publishes Popular Searches by Country for April, May

AEBN has released the list of popular searches from its straight and gay theaters by country in April and May.

French Court Suspends Age Verification Rule for EU Sites

The Paris Administrative Court has suspended enforcement of age verification regulations for sites based in other European Union member nations, pending a final judgment on whether France’s AV rules align with EU standards.

UK Parliament Weighs Proposals Targeting Adult Content

The U.K. Parliament this week debated proposed amendments to the pending Crime and Policing Bill, including clauses criminalizing “choking” content — and potentially outlawing paying for sex acts in cam performances and custom clips.

Rights Groups File Amicus Brief Supporting Backpage Defendants

Woodhull Freedom Foundation has joined Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, Reason Foundation, and Electronic Frontier Foundation in filing an amicus brief in support of an appeal by former executives of Backpage.com.

UK Lawmaker Calls for Ban on Choking in Online Adult Content

British lawmaker Jessica Asato stated in an interview aired on Sunday that she plans to ask Parliament to outlaw online adult content featuring the act of choking.

Feet4Cash Joins Pineapple Support as Sponsor

Feet4Cash has joined the ranks of over 70 adult businesses and organizations committing funds and resources to Pineapple Support.

Report: VPN Usage Surges in France After Aylo Restricts Access to Pornhub

France has experienced a surge in virtual private network (VPN) signups after Aylo, which operates Pornhub, Redtube and YouPorn, cut off access to those sites in the country in the wake of new age verification regulations, business news site MENAFN is reporting.

Show More