complying Archives - usatoday24

Investigate Pornhub for not complying with age verification

May 28, 2025 by usatoday24

A click on a yellow box that says “I am 18 years of age or older.” That is all the age verification that Pornhub makes, one of the largest pornographic content websites in the world. And indeed, it is not enough, at least for the European Commission. And it is not in Pornhub, Stripchat, Xnxx and Xvideos, websites all of them that, from now on, They are being investigated by the European Commission for “suspicions of gaps of the digital service acts”. Context. One of the objectives of the European Act Digital Act, AKA DSA, is to protect minors from certain types of network content. The pornographic, among them and in particular. Since December 2023, Pornhub, Stripchat and Xvideos are considered Vlops (Vary Large Online Platforms), that is, platforms that have an average of 45 million monthly users and, therefore, have additional obligations. Since December 2023, Pornhub (among other websites) has been considered a Very Large Online Platform and, as such, has additional obligations What obligations? In order to concern this text, Vlops must offer greater protection to minors. According to the European Commission, “Vlop must design their services, including their interfaces, recommendation systems and terms and conditions, to address and prevent risks for the well -being of minors.” They must also offer “palliative measures to protect the rights of the child and prevent minors from accessing online pornographic content, even with age verification tools.” In other words, which must offer mechanisms to ensure that minors do not access adult content. Among those mechanisms is, for example, age verification. It is a fairly complex issue, which has not been exempt from criticism and that He has been on the table for more years. Completely impassable | Image: Xataka What happened. That the European Commission has taken the magnifying glass to take a look at what Pornhub, Stripchat, Xnxx and Xvideos are doing to prevent minors from seeing porn. As reflected in the commission in the releaseinvestigations focus on “the risks for the protection of minors, including those related to the absence of effective age verification measures.” The preliminary research carried out by the European agency suggests these platforms have not implemented “appropriate and provided measures to guarantee a high level of privacy, safety and protection of minors” or risk mitigation measures, “in particular through adequate tools for verification of age,” says the Commission. Image | Shane Uchi What could happen? That the European Commission opens the investigation does not mean that these companies are guilty. If it is, something that will be resolved later, they would face a sanction of up to 6% of their global annual turnover. In the case of Pornhub, perhaps the best known, the website is owned by Aylo (previously Mindgeek) and its estimated income are around 500 million dollars annually. The potential fine would therefore be about 30 million dollars. And what systems are there? We have visited the four websites mentioned above and then we show the mechanisms for protection of minors: a screen where we accept that we are (or not) minors. There is no verification. Interestingly, stripcams links a kind of guide for parents to teach to configure parental control via Google SafeSearch or in iOS/Android. However, the DSA establishes that it is the websites that must offer the prevention mechanisms, not leave the ball on the parents’ roof. Pornhub age verification systems, XVIDEOS, XNXX and Stripchat | Image: Xataka In any case, and as far as Stripchat concerns specifically, the commission has announced that it has lost its status of Vlop and will cease to be considered as such in four months. However, general obligations will continue to apply. In that sense, the Commission has commented that there are many pornographic platforms that are not so large and in which, therefore, national laws are applied. Thus, a working group has been established with the objective of better coordinating the actions between the different countries. Doors to the field. Throughout history there has been countless attempts To restrict access to the pornographic content, but the reality is that blocking access to content available on the Internet without going through an exhaustive age verification is … complex. Not because blocking a website is impossible, which is not at all, but because pornographic content can be found on any platform. Porn websites are the best known distribution platforms, but this type of content can be found on social networks, platforms such as Reddit, in Telegram channels or in WhatsApp groups. Limiting access to websites is a step, but it will not eliminate the root problem: accessing online porn is extremely simple. Digital portfolio operation scheme | Image: Government of Spain Pajorto. The Government of Spain announced last year Beta digital portfolio creationbetter known as “pajorto” although its implementation could be expanded until November 2026 (which is the maximum date to comply with the European regulations eidas2which forces member states to have digital identity systems), it was supposed to be ready by the end of this year. Interestingly, Cumlauder, a well -known Spanish website, He advanced to the “parsport” with a system based on or verification of DNI or through a selfie. And speaking of Spain … According to the then Minister of Digital Transformation, José Luis Escrivá, Beta Aka Digital Portfolio the “Pajorte” was being a “study in Europe and the same within a year all of Europe is applying it”. In that sense, the European Commission has said that it is in “in close collaboration with the Member States, it is developing an application of verification of the white marked age, aimed at covering the void until the EU digital purse is available at the end of 2026” Well According to EFE Agencythat quotes sources from the aforementioned Ministry, the European Commission I would have chosen Spain for the pilot project of said verification tool. The idea would be to offer the national system as a base and that the rest of the countries can adapt it to their own contexts. After … Read more

has launched a reprimand against Google and Apple for not complying with the DMA

March 20, 2025 by usatoday24

“Companies operating in the EU, regardless of their place of constitution, must comply with the EU standards, including the Digital Markets Law (DMA),” has declared the Spanish commissioner Teresa Ribera in one of her first outstanding actions since she assumed the since Margrethe Vestager occupied before. His words do not arrive alone: they are accompanied by a reprimand against Google and Apple, two giants who are in the sights for their relationship with the DMA. And he does it in a context marked by the Growing friction with the United States. Google’s case The European Commission, the executive arm of the block, has determined that certain functions of Google Search are designed to give preference to Alphabet’s own services on those of the competition. A movement that, according to Brussels, collides directly with the principles of transparency and non -discrimination of the DMA. On the other hand, he also pointed out that Google Play also does not comply with the aforementioned regulations, since it limits applications developers when “directing” users to external offers outside the store. This is what has determined, in a preliminary way, the European Commission in its investigation: Google Search: Google matrix treats Its own services, such as purchases, hotels, transport or financial or sports results, more favorable in Google search results than similar services offered by third parties. Here it is easy to imagine several scenarios. For example, if we seek ‘Apple Quote’ on Google, it is likely that the first result comes from Google Finance instead of other financial sources. The same goes for searches such as ‘Cheap flights to London’, where Google Travel usually appears before external alternatives. In the words of the commission: “Alphabet gives its own services a more prominent treatment compared to others by showing them at the top of Google search results or in dedicated spaces, with improved visual formats and filtering mechanisms.” Google Play. In the case of the official Android application store, European regulators accuse Google of Restrict the ability of developers to lead users to their own distribution channels and offers. In addition, they point out that, although the company can collect a rate for facilitating the collection of new customers through Google Play, the commissions that Alphabet applies exceed what they consider reasonable “Alphabet charges developers a high rate for an excessively long period of time for each purchase of digital goods and services,” says the commission. Apple’s case Brussels regulators They have pointed out that Apple must take measures to fulfill certain aspects of its interoperability obligation. As they explain, this will facilitate a more fluid integration of third -party products within the company’s ecosystem and allow users to access a greater variety of compatible devices and services. There are two key points in this issue. Let’s see what are: Connected devices. The commission has focused on the connectivity functions of iOS that allow to link devices such as smart watches, headphones and televisions. The required modifications seek to improve the user experience, allowing the visualization of notifications in wearables, the wireless transfer of files and more accessible configurations. “The connected devices of all brands will work better on the iPhone,” they say. Interoperability requests. The objective is that Apple facilitates access to developers who want to make the most of the interoperability capabilities of their ecosystem. For this, improvements are proposed as a more transparent access to technical documentation on functions, more agile communication and update and a more predictable period for requesting applications. As explained, “developers will benefit from a rapid and fair processing of their interoperability applications.” What’s still for Google and Apple In the case of Google, the company has the right to formally defend and respond to the conclusions of the European Commission. If preliminary opinions are confirmed, Brussels could formalize the breach of the DMA, which would mean fines of up to 10% of its global income. In case of recidivism, the sanction could double up to 20%. As for Apple, the company is obliged to apply the measures imposed by European regulators. However, these decisions respect their right of defense and remain subject to judicial scrutiny. Although, for now, the decision does not imply immediate sanctions, if the company refuses to comply, the commission could adopt additional measures under the DMA, which would eventually derive in fines. The effect in the United States This movement comes at a time when several technological leaders have raised their voice against the fines imposed in the EU. The protests have reached Donald Trump. Last year, the president -elect said in a podcast that Tim Cook called him to talk about the sanctions against Apple in Europe, to which he replied that he would not allow the EU to “take advantage” of US companies if he arrived again at the White House. After his electoral victory, his speech has not changed. Any future sanction to Apple or Google could generate a Negative reaction from Washington. Images | European Union (via Wikimedia Commons / CC by 4.0) | Solen Feyissa In Xataka | The EU regulatory obsession raises a world in which AI will have two speeds. And Europe will lose

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