The European Union today added three pornographic websites – Pornhub, Stripchat and XVideos – to the list of very large online platforms subject to enhanced controls under the new European Digital Services Act (DSA).

The Digital Services Act (DSA) has already been imposed on 19 social medias, shopping platforms and search engines, including Google, YouTube, Amazon, Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly Twitter) or the TikTok.

These platforms will be subject to stricter rulesin order to ensure mainly that they implement the necessary means for the protection of minorsthe European Commission announced.

Pornhub, Stripchat and XVideos should “adopt specific measures to hold accountable and protect online users, including minors, and adequately assess and mitigate any systemic risks arising from their services” , emphasized the Commission.

As he said, websites should be particularly careful in “measures aimed at protecting minors from harmful content and at combating the spread of illegal content”, such as images of violence or child pornography.

European Commissioner for Digital Policy Thierry Breton stressed that “creating a safer online environment for our children” is a “priority” in the implementation of the DSA.

The list is for platforms that reach at least 45 million monthly active users.

In a post on its website, Pornhub claimed it had not exceeded the 45 million user limit set by the EU, leaving open the possibility of legal action against the measure.

“As of July 31, 2023, Pornhub had 33 million monthly users in the European Union, on average over the past six months,” he said.