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Porn Sites Blocked By French Court Over Lack Of Age Verification

• Written by Kiara Fabbri Former Tech News Writer
• Fact-Checked by Justyn Newman Former Lead Cybersecurity Editor

In a Rush? Here are the Quick Facts!

• The Paris Court ordered blocks on Xhamster and Tukif for lacking age verification.
• Websites have 15 days to implement age controls or face extended blocks.
• Research shows 2.3 million minors in France visit pornographic sites monthly.

The Paris Court of Appeal has ordered the full blocking of several pornographic websites, including Xhamster and Tukif, due to their failure to implement solid age verification systems. The ruling, issued today, is intended as a major step in protecting minors from accessing adult content online, as reported by Politico .

The court’s decision emphasized the importance of protecting children, stating that children’s general interest is “an overriding consideration which may justify infringement of other rights such as freedom of expression or communication,” Politico reported.

The court further stated, “Giving priority to the protection of the private lives of adult consumers, by ruling out age verification, is incompatible with the protection of minors.”

Justine Atlan, managing director of e-Enfance, one of the two associations that supported the plaintiffs, called it “a landmark decision.” According to Atlan, the websites have 15 days to implement effective age controls, or the blocks will be extended until such systems are in place, as reported by Politico.

This case follows broader efforts by French authorities to enforce stricter online content regulations. Indeed, the French audiovisual regulator, Arcom , has been given the authority to implement age-gating rules under the Law to Secure and Regulate the Digital Space, which came into force in May 2024, as reported yesterday by Verifymy .

This law mandates that websites offering pornographic content must implement effective age verification systems to prevent minors from accessing their material.

Arcom’s document specifies the “minimum technical requirements applicable to age verification systems set up to access services broadcasting pornographic content,” as noted by Verifymy.

The guidelines further reinforce Arcom’s right to “sanction and administratively block pornographic sites that do not comply with their criminal obligation to prevent minors from accessing their content.”

This ruling could signal a broader shift toward prioritizing child protection in digital regulations across Europe. Advocates argue that with the increasing number of minors accessing adult content, the case for stringent measures is undeniable, as reported by Verifymy.

They believe robust and well-implemented age verification systems could provide a crucial layer of protection for children, which has been missing from the digital landscape, noted by Verifymy.

However, on the other side, this ruling raises concerns about freedom of expression and privacy. Critics argue that blocking access to websites over age verification issues could be seen as overreach, restricting the freedom of adult consumers to access legal content.

Moreover, the enforcement of age-gating could pose privacy risks for adult users, who may be required to provide personal information, creating potential vulnerabilities in terms of data protection.

Image by Spectra112, from Pixabay.

Man Arrested for Hacking SEC’s X Account And Boosting Bitcoin Price

• Written by Kiara Fabbri Former Tech News Writer
• Fact-Checked by Justyn Newman Former Lead Cybersecurity Editor

In a Rush? Here are the Quick Facts!

• The hack falsely announced Bitcoin ETFs approval, boosting Bitcoin’s price by $1,000.
• Council used SIM swapping to access the SEC’s account through a victim’s phone.
• He faces charges of aggravated identity theft and access device fraud.

Federal authorities announced today that Eric Council Jr., a 25-year-old from Alabama, has been arrested for his role in hacking the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) X account. This hack occurred on January 9, 2024, when a false post claimed that the SEC had approved Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs).

The misleading tweet caused Bitcoin’s price to surge by over $1,000, capturing the attention of traders and investors. Shortly after the fake announcement, the SEC regained control of their account and confirmed that the post was unauthorized. Following this correction, Bitcoin’s value fell by more than $2,000.

According to the indictment , Council conspired with others to take unauthorized control of the @SECGov X account by performing a SIM swap on the phone account of a person identified only as “C.L.”

This method allowed hackers to trick phone companies into switching a phone number to a new SIM card they controlled. By doing this, Council could access the SEC’s X account and post the fake announcement.

U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves stated, “These SIM swapping schemes, where fraudsters trick service providers into giving them control of unsuspecting victims’ phones, can result in devastating financial losses to victims and leaks of sensitive personal and private information.”

He added, “Here, the conspirators allegedly used their illegal access to a phone to manipulate financial markets. Through indictments like this, we will hold accountable those who commit these serious crimes.”

Council faces charges of conspiracy to commit aggravated identity theft, and access device fraud. He is expected to appear in court later today in the Northern District of Alabama. FBI Acting Special Agent in Charge David Geist emphasized the seriousness of SIM swapping.

He commented, “SIM swapping is a method bad actors exploit to illicitly access sensitive information of an individual or company, with the intent of perpetrating a crime. In this case, the unauthorized actor allegedly utilized SIM swapping to manipulate the global financial market.”

This case is being investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office Criminal and Cyber Division, the SEC Office of Inspector General, and other law enforcement agencies. The arrest serves as a reminder of the ongoing threat of cybercrime and its potential impact on financial markets.