The War on Porn Regular Updates about the Assault on The Adult Industry
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It started with a post on X that felt less like an announcement and more like a warning shot. Krystal Davis shared that one of her platforms would no longer accept adult content tied to Alabama or North Carolina—and suddenly a lot of creators across the U.S. were scrambling to figure out what this meant for them.
Some Adult Platforms Are Banning Content and Creators From Alabama and North Carolina
The notice laid out the new rules in blunt terms. The platform will reject:
Any productions shot in Alabama or North Carolina.
Any productions featuring talent who legally reside in those states.
Any productions featuring talent whose ID documents were issued by those states.
And it’s not just some vague future plan. The policy is attached to specific launch dates:
Alabama: applies to content shot on or after October 1, 2024.
North Carolina: applies to content shot on or after December 1, 2025.
Why Adult Platforms Are Banning Content From Alabama and North Carolina
Krystal Davis said her notice came from Adult Empire, and another creator reported getting a similar notice from Adult Time. It wouldn’t be surprising if more platforms quietly follow the same route. In a way, it feels like another one of those “small changes” that’ll end up reshaping the industry before anyone has time to react.
But why this move? Why now?
Both states recently passed sweeping laws regulating adult content online—laws that carry enough legal risk that platforms appear to be choosing exclusion over compliance. Instead of building new legal infrastructure, they’re just geoblocking the problem.
So let’s unpack the laws behind the panic.
Alabama’s HB164: A Strict Age-Verification and Consent Law With Heavy Penalties
Alabama
HB164 went into effect October 1, 2024, packaged as “consumer protection.” On paper, it reads like safety policy. In practice, it puts massive responsibility on platforms hosting adult content.
1. Mandatory Age Verification for All Adult Sites
Any commercial entity that “knowingly and intentionally publishes or distributes sexual material harmful to minors” must verify users are 18+ using a “reasonable age-verification method.”
And those verification services? They must be designed so they can’t retain user data.
If platforms screw up, they’re exposed to:
Civil lawsuits
Up to $10,000 per violation
Penalties under deceptive trade laws
2. Strict Written-Consent Requirements for All “Private Images”
Before publishing any “private image,” platforms need written, notarized consent from every person depicted—and those records have to be stored for five years.
3. Mandatory Warning Labels on Every Page
Not subtle ones either. We’re talking big, government-scripted warnings like:
“Pornography is potentially biologically addictive…”
“Pornography increases the demand for prostitution, child exploitation, and child pornography.”
4. A 10% Tax on Pornography Produced or Sold in Alabama
Section 10 slaps a 10% gross-receipts tax on memberships, subscriptions, and any material produced or sold in the state.
Why Platforms Are Responding by Blocking Alabama
If you’re a platform, you’re staring at:
High legal liability
Restrictions on data handling
Constant compliance demands
A tax on any content tied to the state
And lawsuit exposure for every alleged violation
At some point, it stops being a legal puzzle and starts being a cost-benefit analysis. And Alabama isn’t worth the math.
North Carolina’s HB805: Extremely Broad “Pornographic Image” Verification Rules
North Carolina
HB805 drops December 1, 2025 for adult-content sections, and while the bill covers everything from school libraries to “biological sex” definitions, the part that matters to creators is Article 51A.
This isn’t just strict; it’s procedural overkill.
1. Age and Consent Documentation for Every Person in Every Pornographic Image
Before publishing a pornographic image, platforms must verify:
The person was 18 at the time of creation
Written consent for each sex act performed
Written consent specifically for distribution
And, crucially: consent for performance does not equal consent to distribute
Platforms must collect:
A full consent form with personal details
A matching government ID
2. Mandatory Removal System With 72-Hour Deadlines
If a performer requests removal, platforms must comply within 72 hours—even if consent was properly documented.
If consent is questioned, content must be pulled down temporarily.
Re-uploads? Permanently banned.
3. Massive Civil Penalties
The Attorney General can impose:
Up to $10,000 per day per image for failure to remove
Up to $5,000 per day for publishing violations
Performers can also sue for $10,000 per day per image.
Why Platforms Are Banning North Carolina Content
HB805 basically forces platforms to:
Re-document performers from NC
Handle disputes more aggressively
Maintain permanent blocks on re-uploads
Maintain 1:1 traceable consent for every act in every piece of content
That’s not a tweak—it’s an entirely new compliance department.
You may also notice the bans include things like:
Talent living in those states
Talent whose IDs originate from those states
Content filmed in those states
This is because the laws follow the people and the production location—not just where the content is uploaded. That means:
An NC resident filmed in Las Vegas? Still a risk.
A performer who moved out of Alabama but still has an AL ID? Risk.
A scene shot in Alabama and uploaded from New York? Still covered.
The jurisdiction sticks like glue.
Adult platforms aren’t banning performers because they suddenly want to. They’re doing it because Alabama and North Carolina have created legal terrains where one clerical oversight could turn into six-figure penalties.
Alabama’s HB164 demands notarized consent, strict age verification, no data retention, warning labels, and a 10% tax.
North Carolina’s HB805 requires different consents for each act, ID verification, rapid takedowns, and crushing per-day fines.
Faced with that, some companies are choosing the path of least resistance: eliminating content tied to those states entirely. Will others follow? Probably. Not because they want to—because compliance costs more than creators do.
The laws don’t just restrict porn; they quietly redraw who gets to participate in the industry at all.
