Russians now need a passport to watch Pornhub

Pornhub, the world's biggest porn site, now requires users in Russia to log in using social media accounts linked to their passports and cell phones. Monday's change is the latest chapter in an ongoing feud between Pornhub and the Russian government. The site was blocked in Russia last September for allegedly spreading information detrimental to the development of children, then reinstated in April after instituting a requirement that users specify their age. At the time, Pornhub asked the Russian state media regulation agency whether officials there would lift the ban if they were given free Pornhub Premium accounts. The Russians replied that they would not.

The site found itself once again at the center of Russian political intrigue weeks later, when political opponents of Russian President Vladimir Putin used Pornhub to distribute a banned investigative documentary about Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, a longtime Putin ally. It's unclear whether that episode is linked to the latest alteration to Pornhub's Russia policy - forcing users to log in with their account on the social networking site Vkontakte.

source: Article 'Russians now need a passport to watch Pornhub' by Greg Walters; news.vice.com/story/russians-now-need-a-passport-to-watch-pornhub; VICE News; 10 July 2017