Florida’s attorney general is suing several online pornography websites, saying they are violating a new state law that requires age verification before accessing adult content.
That law, HB 3, went into effect on Jan. 1, but it is still being contested in the courts.
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In June, a federal judge granted a preliminary injunction against the state being able to enforce the law, which the Computer & Communications Industry Association argues violates the First Amendment.
In the meantime, AG James Uthmeier filed legal suits against Webgroup Czech Republic, NKL Associates, Sonesta Technologies, Inc., GGW Group, and Traffic F, arguing that they are “flagrantly breaking Florida’s age verification law.”
“As a father of young children, and as attorney general, this is completely unacceptable,” Uthmeier said. “We are taking legal action against these online pornographers who are willfully preying on the innocence of children for their financial gain.”
According to the AG’s office, the companies mentioned above are doing business as XVideos.com, XNXX.com, BangBros.com, GirlsGoneWild.com, and TrafficFactory.com, and are publishing sexually explicit material online that is harmful to minors.
XVideos.com and XNXX.com are free to access and they receive hundreds of millions of visits monthly worldwide and several million in Florida alone, the AG said.
Uthmeier contends that the companies “have openly defied HB 3″ because the websites are not requiring age verification to access them.
Uthmeier said letters were sent to two of the companies, demanding they comply with state law or face legal action, but the companies made no changes.
According to information from NetChoice, which is one of the organizations suing the state over HB 3, a federal judge agreed on June 3 to halt the state’s enforcement of the law while the case is being litigated.
