Almost two years ago, Louisiana passed a law that started a wave that’s since spread across the entire U.S. south, and has changed the way people there can access adult content. As of today, Florida, Tennessee, and South Carolina join the list of 17 states that can’t access some of the most popular porn sites on the internet, because of regressive laws that claim to protect children but restrict adults’ use of the internet, instead.

That law, passed as Act 440, was introduced by “sex addiction” counselor and state representative Laurie Schegel and quickly copied across the country. The exact phrasing varies, but in most states, the details of the law are the same: Any “commercial entity” that publishes “material harmful to minors” online can be held liable—meaning, tens of thousands of dollars in fines and/or private lawsuits—if it doesn’t “perform reasonable age verification methods to verify the age of individuals attempting to access the material.”

To remain compliant with the law while protecting users’ privacy, Aylo—the company that owns Pornhub and a network of sites including Brazzers, RedTube, YouPorn, Reality Kings, and several others—is making the choice, state by state, to block users altogether. 

Pornhub is currently blocked in:

• Virginia 
• Montana
• North Carolina
• Arkansas
• Utah
• Mississippi
• Texas
• Nebraska
• Idaho
• Kansas
• Kentucky
• Indiana
• Alabama
• Oklahoma
• Florida
• Tennessee
• South Carolina

Georgia’s age verification bill has passed and is set to go into effect in July.

On a map, it looks like this: 

Georgia’s age verification bill will go into effect in July. 

In Louisiana, sites in the Aylo network direct visitors to use the state’s LA Wallet, a digital driver’s license for Louisianans, before they can enter the site. That system has been in place since January 1, 2023. But the law is not working as the lawmakers would have us believe they intended it. Instead of protecting children from “harmful material,” it’s sending visitors elsewhere across the internet. An Aylo spokesperson told me that the number of visitors in Louisiana “instantly decreased by 80 percent” when the platform introduced age verification in the state. Instead, visitors go to sites with worse moderation practices and no requirements on identity verification for uploaders—just a few of the security and safety practices Pornhub started putting into place in late 2020 amid allegations of abusive imagery on the site and a campaign by religious conservative groups to have the whole platform shut down.

Even if someone wanted to visit Pornhub from Florida today, they could easily get around any age verification barriers with a VPN, which we consistently see searches for spike when these laws go into effect. 

Age Verification Laws Drag Us Back to the Dark Ages of the Internet

Invasive and ineffective age verification laws that require users show government-issued ID, like a driver’s license or passport, are passing like wildfire across the U.S.

404 MediaEmanuel Maiberg

Aylo sent 404 Media a statement about the age verification laws’ progress across the country: 

"First, to be clear, Aylo has publicly supported age verification of users for years, but we believe that any law to this effect must preserve user safety and privacy, and must effectively protect children from accessing content intended for adults.
Unfortunately, the way many jurisdictions worldwide, including Florida, have chosen to implement age verification is ineffective, haphazard, and dangerous. Any regulations that require hundreds of thousands of adult sites to collect significant amounts of highly sensitive personal information is putting user safety in jeopardy. Moreover, as experience has demonstrated, unless properly enforced, users will simply access non-compliant sites or find other methods of evading these laws."

In place of the homepage, in several blocked states, Aylo-network sites show a message read by adult performer and activist Cherie Deville: "The safety of our users is one of our biggest concerns. We believe that the best and most effective solution for protecting children and adults alike is to identify users by their device and allow access to age-restricted materials and websites based on that identification," DeVille says. "Until a real solution is offered, we have made the difficult decision to completely disable access to our website in your state."

2025 will be a year of intensifying legal battles against the creep of age verification laws. As such, there is some hope: Not every state where bills were introduced rolled over and allowed their constituents to face more censorship with less safety. In Arizona, governor Katie Hobbs vetoed the copycat bill there. “Children's online safety is a pressing issue for parents and the state,” Hobbs wrote in a letter announcing her decision. “While we look for a solution, it should be bipartisan and work within the bounds of the First Amendment, which this bill does not.” 

The Free Speech Coalition filed a challenge to the law in Florida earlier this month, along with several co-plaintiffs, including the sex education platform O.school, sexual wellness retailer Adam & Eve, adult fan platform JustFor.Fans, and Florida attorney Barry Chase. “These laws create a substantial burden on adults who want to access legal sites without fear of surveillance,” Alison Boden, Executive Director of the Free Speech Coalition, said in a press release published in December. “Despite the claims of the proponents, HB3 is not the same as showing an ID at a liquor store. It is invasive and carries significant risk to privacy. This law and others like it have effectively become state censorship, creating a massive chilling effect for those who speak about, or engage with, issues of sex or sexuality.”

And in Texas, Free Speech Coalition v. Paxton continues and will be heard this month.

Age verification bills like the ones flooding the south and beyond are regressive at best, and actively harmful at worst. They’re not just ineffective, they’re worse: they push people to sites where piracy is rampant and moderation—meaning, protection from actual harmful material—is almost nonexistent. We’ll be following these laws and their challengers into 2025 as we have been for years; if you have anything to share from inside of lawmakers’ offices about how they’re approaching these laws, please get in touch via Signal: sam.404.

Miami, Florida, 1st January 2025, Chainwire

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• For Christmas, I was gifted a lunch at Disneyland's elite Club 33, an invite-only club in the park.
• The holiday prix-fixe meal featured roasted salmon, lobster tail, filet mignon, and specialty pastries.
• As a foodie and Disney fan, I had high hopes for Club 33 — and the meal still exceeded expectations.

This year, as a Christmas present, I was gifted a rare experience I doubted I'd ever get a chance to try: dining at the exclusive Club 33 at Disneyland.

As a Disney fan and a foodie, I'd long heard rumors about the elite, members-only club with a secret entrance on Royal Street in New Orleans Square. Business Insider previously reported that, in addition to a yearslong membership waitlist, there is a $25,000 to $100,000 initiation fee to join Club 33, as well as an annual price tag ranging between $12,500 and $30,000, depending on the membership level.

This year, the mysterious club again made headlines after an Arizona couple said they spent $400,000 on legal fees pursuing a lawsuit to regain entry after their membership had been revoked.

And while that's far too rich for my blood, after thoroughly enjoying my lunch there, I can see why they'd fight so hard to maintain access.

Here's a glimpse at the seasonal holiday experience being offered this year at Club 33's Le Grand Salon restaurant, which — despite my already high expectations — left me feeling surprised and delighted at every turn.

Dining at Le Grand Salon, you won't ever forget you're having a luxurious — and exclusive — experience. The park's staff is already known for their commitment to customer service, but Club 33 takes things to another level.

Guests enter the club through a secret door across from La Mascarade d'Orleans, a store in New Orleans Square, using a buzzer to check in for their reservation. After passing through the Court of Angels — a pristinely appointed courtyard where you can get your picture taken — you're greeted by hosts who already know your name and seat you for your meal.

Photos are allowed in the dining area and courtyard but not in the bathrooms or members-only lounge.

The hosts whisk any nonessential items you're carrying to a complimentary coat check — no hoodies allowed inside, or yoga pants, or dirty tennis shoes, for that matter.

The club's iconic "33" logo is featured prominently throughout the venue, including on its dishware, menus, and artwork on the walls and floor.

While you wait for your food, you're encouraged to explore the balcony overlooking New Orleans Square, interact with the animatronic turkey vulture Alfred, the club's mascot, and admire the concept art and handpainted vintage harpsichord Walt Disney gifted his wife, Lillian, which now decorates the lounge.

The three-course prix fixe meal costs $140 per person for lunch, with an optional wine pairing available for an additional $75. The cocktail menu is just as thoughtfully curated as the rest of the experience, with classic options like mint juleps and whisky sours available alongside seasonal re-imaginings like the "Winter Solstice Spritz" and "Butter Rum Drummer Boy."

Alcohol is still served only in a few select locations at Disneyland, and Club 33 offers the largest variety of options anywhere in the theme park.

Though it was difficult to choose — everything looked delicious, and there were more options than we had diners at the table — I decided on roasted salmon for my appetizer, a filet mignon cooked medium for my entrée, and a hot chocolate affogato for dessert.

My partner, who graciously called in a favor of a family friend to get us into the club, had the shrimp appetizer, lobster stew entrée, and warm sticky toffee cake for dessert.

We'd had such a difficult time deciding on the details of our meal that our server, Beth, suggested we order her favorite dish — the sweet potato ravioli — à la carte.

While the option came with a $100 price increase, we were ultimately glad we splurged because the dish was one of the best things we tasted all day.

Each dish was executed perfectly. The salmon was flaky, the steak was juicy with a beautifully seared crust, and the pasta was smooth and flavorful.

Throughout the meal, my partner and I traded surprised exclamations. While we occasionally enjoy fine dining experiences, we've sometimes found more pomp and circumstance than flavor in high-end restaurants. Not so at Club 33, where every dish prepared by Chef Gloria Tae, the chef de cuisine, was both beautifully presented and delicious to boot.

I used to work in a bakery and have a particular fondness for desserts. When I tell you I was blown away by Club 33's sweet offerings, I mean it — from the moment I took my first bite, I couldn't wipe the smile off my face.

I'd ordered the hot chocolate affogato, which came topped with peppermint ice cream and served alongside warm chocolate chip cookie bars. My partner's choice of sticky toffee cake was also exceptionally tasty, with a brown sugar streusel and eggnog sauce.

The dessert offerings were so surprising that I ended up asking our server who Club 33's pastry chefs are — and she mentioned they also cook for the Grand Californian, which means I'll have to plan a visit to the 4-star hotel in the future to try more of their creations.

Before we left, our server presented us with Club 33-themed macaroon cookies, which allowed me to continue enjoying the experience the next day when I finally caved and cracked open the box they were served in.

Overall, the experience of dining at Club 33's Le Grand Salon lived up to the hype I'd heard over the years. I'd half expected that I'd have built it up in my head to an unattainable standard, but I really should have known the magic that Disney is capable of pulling off.

And while I haven't been invited to join the club myself — nor do I have $30,000 lying around to join if I did — I now completely understand why Club 33 has earned the reputation it has.

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