The Internet Revolutionized Porn: Age Verification and the Future of Digital Autonomy
The internet revolutionized porn, but age verification could upend everything. Platforms like Pornhub and OnlyFans have given porn stars more autonomy, yet sweeping age-check laws are already impacting their bottom lines. It’s a typical week for creators like Siri Dahl: demanding, a little all over the place, and very online, but one she’s totally in control of.
The Evolution of the Adult Industry
Dahl debuted in adult entertainment in 2012, with credits in projects by Vivid Entertainment, Naughty America, and Girlfriends Films. At the time, she says, the industry was still very much a boys club; she had no independence and even less say over the direction of her career. “It was like five CEOs who completely dictated what was attractive and what kind of person was allowed to become a porn star,” she says. “Performers were essentially at the bottom. I’d be on set for 12 hours all for one check, and there are no royalties in porn. The power dynamic was inverted compared to what it is now.”
Today, Dahl does a little bit of everything: girl on girl, solo and fetish content, naked workout videos, and group scenes. She’s on “basically every fan platform”—Fansly, LoyalFans, and ManyVids, with OnlyFans being her “biggest income generator.” She also uploads free content to Pornhub, where she makes ad revenue based on views. She’s grateful for the autonomy the internet has given her over her career.
Comparison of Industry Eras
- Old Studio System: Characterized as a boys club where five CEOs dictated attractiveness, performers had no independence, worked 12-hour sets for a single check, and received no royalties.
- Modern Fan Platforms: Performers have total control, utilizing platforms like OnlyFans, Fansly, and ManyVids for autonomy and diverse income streams including ad revenue and direct fan support.
The Impact of Age-Verification Laws
But that could come to a crashing end, with the widespread adoption of age-verification laws in the US and UK, which require visitors to upload an ID or other personal documentation to validate that they are not a minor before viewing sexually explicit material. So far at least 24 US states have sanctioned some form of ID verification, each with unique stipulations. Already Dahl has seen “an absolutely massive drop in traffic,” she says. “I’ve made 30 percent less money this year than I did last year.”
Political Objectives and Free Speech
Legislators argue that these laws are intended to keep minors safe from content deemed harmful to them. Critics say the laws infringe on privacy rights and set an irreversibly dark precedent for the future of free speech. Perhaps even more terrifying is what it all signals: the death of the free web and an ushering in of a more puritanical version of America. That’s been a goal of Project 2025 all along. A line from the 900-page Heritage Foundation document says “people who produce and distribute [porn] should be imprisoned.”
In a video recording, Trump ally Russell Vought, who coauthored Project 2025, says the age verification laws are a “back door” route to a federal ban. “We’d have a national ban on pornography if we could,” says Vought. “We’ve got a number of states that are passing this, and you know what happens is, the porn company then says, ‘We’re not going to do business in your state,’ which is entirely what we were after.”
The Battle Against Censorship
People who work in the adult industry are not especially shocked at what is unfolding. Porn censorship has been an ongoing battle—payment processors like Mastercard, Visa, and PayPal have instituted strict controls around what is permissible; Instagram routinely kicks adult creators off its platform. It’s “death by a thousand paper cuts,” says Alex Kekesi.