James Uthmeier
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier on Tuesday filed a lawsuit against multiple pornography websites, saying they are “flagrantly” breaking a state law requiring age verification before accessing adult content.
Uthmeier filed the lawsuit in Sarasota County Circuit Court.
The defendants include Webgroup Czech Republic, NKL Associates, Sonesta Technologies, Inc., GGW Group, and Traffic F.
The attorney general’s filing argues the companies are breaking state law and endangering minors.
“Multiple porn companies are flagrantly breaking Florida’s age verification law by exposing children to harmful, explicit content,” Uthmeier said in a statement. “As a father of young children, and as attorney general, this is completely unacceptable.
“We are taking legal action against these online pornographers who are willfully preying on the innocence of children for their financial gain.”
In March 2024, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed House Bill 3, titled “Online Protections for Minors,” into law. The law took effect Jan. 1.
The law, among other things, prohibits social media platforms from allowing minors under 14 to create accounts; minors ages 14 and 15 are required to have parental or guardian consent to create social media accounts; and individuals attempting to access sexually explicit material online must verify they are at least 18 years old.
HB 3 has sparked some First Amendment concerns, and also has raised concerns about cybersecurity and data security because users may be forced to provide sensitive personal information.
Uthmeier alleges that despite knowing their websites must comply with age-verification laws, the companies have “openly defied” HB 3 since it took effect this year.
In April, the attorney general wrote letters to two of the companies demanding they comply with state law or face legal action, but he says the companies made no changes.
Uthmeier’s lawsuit seeks to compel the companies to comply with their obligations under HB 3 as well as the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act.
