Pornhub hubbub: Russians react to XXX site ban

Russian courts have ruled that two popular adult websites, Pornhub and YouPorn, will be banned in Russia. With access to the troves of free porn suspended, Russian social networks exploded with sarcasm.

Both sites were added to the blacklist of Russian media by internet watchdog Roskomnadzor on Tuesday.

The agency did not specify why the courts ordered the sites to be blocked, but reiterated its advice from the last time it banned Pornhub in 2015. Answering a person on Twitter who asked whether the watchdog offered any alternative to the adult site, it said the alternative is to go out and meet somebody in real life.

Pornhub asked the internet watchdog whether the use of premium accounts would be enough to have the ban removed. The agency refused, saying that “the demography is not a commodity.”

The Russian mechanism for fighting illegal content online allows low-level courts to ban even very popular sites, which occasionally leads to public outcry.

READ MORE: Wiki pot smoking page blacklisted in Russia

Temporary bans in the past affected sites and services such as Wikipedia, Apple’s iCloud, YouTube, and even Roskomnadzor’s own website.

Meanwhile, people in Russia have complained that their favorite destination for adult content was no longer available. RT collected a sample of the complaints.

They say they blocked Pornhub in Russia. Here you go:
( . ) ( . )
No need to thank me.

I remember the last time they blocked Pornhub. The horror of loneliness!

They banned Pornhub in Russia – but I live in Belarus, thank God!

Oh, so they blocked Pornhub.
SO WHAT?
Real men jerk off in VKontakte.

Dmitry Medvedev ordered the creation of a domestic substitute for foreign Pornhub.

Did they block Pornhub during the election week? They really have no fear!

Pornhub banned – no use for browser anymore.

I’ve been thinking about it for some time, and Pornhub ban was the last straw. Marry me!

Roskomnadzor may ban Pornhub, but it can’t ban my imagination!