Porn Sites Sue Over EU Digital Services Act Regulations

LUXEMBOURG—The parent companies of three major pornography platforms have sued the European Union for classifying them as very large online platforms under the Digital Services Act covering the entire bloc.  Aylo, the parent company of Pornhub, is one of the three platforms suing European Commission bureaucrats over the classification. The parent companies of XVideos and Stripchat also filed suit. Cases were filed at the European General Court in Luxembourg, reports the European Union edition of Politico.  The European Commission designated Pornhub, XVideos and Stripchat as “very large online platforms” (VLOPs) in December 2023. Under the Digital Services Act, platforms are classified as VLOPs if over 45 million users visit the sites from IP addresses in EU states. Per the act, VLOPs are required to adhere to regulations that require reports on data collection and content moderation practices. The act also stipulates that VLOPs must provide easier methods for national law enforcement accessibility, especially Europol member police agencies.  AVN reported on the platforms' classification as VLOPs at the time. A spokesperson for Aylo told AVN that the European user base for Pornhub is below 45 million.  The case numbers for all three platforms are T-138/24, T139/24, and T-134/24 before the General Court.  The European Union's judicial system features the General Court as a constituent of the Court of Justice for the entire union.