The European Commission announced on Friday that adult content companies Pornhub, Stripchat, and XVideos are mandated to conduct risk assessment reports and implement measures to address systemic risks associated with their services to adhere to new EU online content regulations.
Designated as very large online platforms last December under the Digital Services Act (DSA), these companies are now required to take enhanced measures to eliminate illegal and harmful content from their platforms.
Pornhub and Stripchat must comply with these stringent DSA obligations by April 21, while XVideos has until April 23 to meet the requirements.
In a statement, the European Commission outlined the obligations, which include the submission of risk assessment reports to the Commission and the implementation of mitigation measures to tackle systemic risks associated with their service provision.
Additionally, the companies are obliged to fulfill transparency requirements, particularly concerning advertisements, and provide access to data for researchers.
Non-compliance with the DSA regulations could result in substantial fines, with companies facing penalties of up to 6 percent of their global annual turnover for breaches.
The digital adult content market is valued at $44.8 billion in 2022 and is likely to reach $201 billion by 2032.
Obligations under the Digital Services Act (DSA) mandate the submission of risk assessment reports to the Commission, implementation of mitigation measures to address systemic risks associated with their services, adherence to additional transparency obligations, including those related to advertisements, and provision of access to data for researchers.
The DSA holds Very Large Online Platforms accountable for ensuring safer and more transparent online environments. These platforms are tasked with identifying and effectively addressing systemic risks, particularly concerning the well-being of minors, amplification of illegal content, recommender systems, and more.
The Commission is monitoring compliance with DSA obligations by these platforms, especially regarding measures to protect minors from harmful content and combat the dissemination of illegal content. Should the Commission suspect any infringements of DSA obligations, it will take appropriate action, utilizing the full range of tools provided by the DSA.
The Digital Services Act came into effect for all online platforms, regardless of size, on February 17, 2024. Since then, platforms have been required to comply with general obligations, such as implementing user-friendly notice and action systems, prohibiting targeted ads for children, and enhancing transparency reporting.
