AUSTIN (WOAI/KABB) — Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has initiated legal proceedings against Aylo Global Entertainment, a prominent pornography distribution company, for allegedly violating HB 1181, a Texas law mandating reasonable age verification measures to shield minors from exposure to explicit materials.

Aylo Global Entertainment oversees several major pornography websites, including the well-known platform Pornhub. Instead of complying with Texas law, which necessitates providers of explicit sexual content to implement age verification systems, the company allegedly exposes minors to pornographic content without proper age checks.

Attorney General Paxton is seeking an injunction against Aylo Global, compelling the implementation of adequate age verification measures and potential civil penalties amounting to millions of dollars for non-compliance.

In Nov. 2023, Attorney General Paxton secured a significant legal victory at the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals, allowing Texas to enforce the age verification law. Companies violating these requirements may face fines of up to $10,000 per day, an additional $10,000 per day if the corporation wrongfully retains identifiable information, and a hefty $250,000 penalty if a minor is exposed to explicit content due to inadequate age verification.

“Texas has the right to protect its children from the detrimental effects of pornographic content,” emphasized Attorney General Paxton. “I look forward to holding any company accountable that violates our age verification laws intended to prevent minors from being exposed to harmful, obscene material on the internet.”