Porn is once again the political scapegoat, and Ohio is the latest moral crusader to grab the pitchfork.
In early October, Ohio’s Attorney General Dave Yost threatened legal action against nineteen of the world’s biggest adult platforms for failing to comply with a new age-verification law. The legislation demands that any site hosting “obscene or harmful” material verify the age of users before showing explicit content, or, face the legal wrath of the state.
The move follows similar laws in Utah, Louisiana, and Texas, where adult sites were forced to choose between compliance and blackout. Most picked the latter.
At first glance, the law sounds reasonable. Who wants kids watching porn? But what’s sold as child protection often doubles as data collection. These laws don’t just filter minors; they build systems capable of identifying, tracking, and policing the sexual behavior of everyone else.
The Porn Paradox
Porn has always been the canary in the cultural coal mine, the first thing censored, the last thing defended. It’s where society rehearses its hypocrisies about morality, control, and shame.
Mandatory age verification may sound like common sense, but under the hood it’s a surveillance machine waiting to be switched on. Users are forced to prove who they are, or at least prove enough to be tied to a real identity. That data becomes a target for governments, hackers, or moral crusaders with subpoenas.
In other words, a law that promises to protect you ends up mapping your desire.
The Case for Protection, Without the Panopticon
Here’s the uncomfortable truth: the opponents of these laws aren’t wrong, but neither are the parents terrified of what their kids might see.
We can, and must, build systems that respect both privacy and protection. The question isn’t whether to restrict access; it’s how to do it without criminalizing curiosity or treating arousal as contraband.
1. Zero-Knowledge Verification
The most promising solution is cryptographic: zero-knowledge proofs (ZKPs). This technology allows someone to prove they are over 18 without revealing their name, birthdate, or any personal data. The proof is mathematical, not governmental.
It’s the difference between saying “I’m an adult” and having to hand over your passport. Companies like Privado ID and Passkeys.io are already prototyping versions that could make privacy-preserving age checks a norm.
2. Decentralized Credential Wallets
Instead of every site demanding your ID, imagine keeping a secure digital “wallet” on your phone that stores simple claims I’m 18+, I’m verified, I consent.
You approve the claim once, and sites simply ping the credential without ever seeing who you are.
It’s not utopian. The European Union is testing similar digital identity frameworks, and some adult sites are already experimenting with privacy-first verification.
3. On-Device Age Estimation
AI-driven facial age estimation, when done locally on the device, can guess whether someone is over 18 without sending any data to servers. Think of it as a bouncer that looks, nods, and forgets you exist.
Of course, accuracy is imperfect, and consent is key, but it’s vastly safer than central databases of driver’s licenses and passports.
4. Design Over Dictates
Not every solution needs to be technological.
Platforms can design interfaces that minimize accidental exposure: blurred thumbnails, opt-in modes, frictional “are you sure?” screens. A touch of resistance can go a long way.
Similarly, adult creators can label and structure content in ways that make explicit material harder to stumble upon, but not harder for consenting adults to find.
5. Education & Empowerment
No software patch replaces cultural literacy.
Children don’t need ignorance; they need understanding. They need to learn what sex is, what consent means, how to discern performance from reality.
Comprehensive sex education, combined with parental controls at the device level, will always do more for child safety than a law written by politicians who can’t say “clitoris” on television.
6. Target Real Harms, Not Desire
The truly harmful corners of the internet like child sexual abuse material, non-consensual content, exploitation – already fall under existing laws. What’s missing isn’t legislation; it’s enforcement.
If the goal is to protect minors, strengthen the pursuit of predators, not the punishment of pleasure.
What a Balanced Framework Could Look Like
A sane, ethical model might combine:
- Soft content gating (blurred previews, opt-ins).
- Minimal, privacy-preserving checks (ZKP or credential wallet).
- On-device, ephemeral AI checks when needed.
- Clear parental and device-level filters.
- Transparent oversight and deletion rights for any data that is processed.
It’s not perfect, but it’s better than turning every orgasm into a government record.
The Philosophy of Privacy
Neuken’s position has always been that pleasure is political.
The right to anonymity – to explore, to hide, to reveal only what you choose – is fundamental to erotic freedom. When lawmakers force identity into desire, they destroy the sanctity of the unseen.
Yes, children must be shielded. But adults deserve privacy. And between the two, there is nuance. A space for ethics, technology, and trust to coexist.
If we can’t build that balance, we’ll end up with a world where your body is clean, your mind is censored, and your arousal belongs to the algorithm.
In Closing…
Protect children.
Preserve privacy.
And never let moral panic design your bedroom.
