Porn Sites Security Risks: Privacy Protections Enhanced After Congress Votes To Allow Sale Of Browsing History

Porn websites are looking to provide their consumer base with enhanced privacy on the web after the Congress voted to pull back the Obama administration’s measures aimed at protecting Internet privacy.

The repeal allows Internet service providers like Verizon and AT&T to gather and sell sensitive information related to any person, including their browsing history, location information, medical conditions, and more.

Read: Campaigns Aim To Buy Congress’ Browsing History After Repeal Of Internet Privacy Protections

In a move that could combat at least one aspect of such a security breach, porn websites like Pornhub and YouPorn are in the process of making the transition to Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS), a security measure, which guards against invasion of privacy by adding encryption to the site. While Pornhub – which reportedly has over 70 million visitors per day – has already shifted to HTTPS, YouPorn, its sister site, will adopt the security measure Tuesday.

“Privacy is paramount to us – it always has been,” Corey Price, a vice president at Pornhub, told the Washington Post. “With HTTPS, users can be rest assured that their browsing data is encrypted, not visible to anyone and, therefore, cannot be sold. While this transition…was in the works before Congress’ appeal, the timing is good.”

According to Pornhub, the use of HTTPS allows the website to offer its users three layers of protection. The first key layer uses encryption to keep third parties away from the user’s data, the second works against corruption of data, and the third provides authenticity to the website.

On visiting the site, visitors will be able to see a green padlock icon in the URL bar, which means that they are accessing the secured version of the site.

“The transition to HTTPS will go a long way in solidifying our users’ privacy and protecting them against various types of malware,” Brad Burns, vice president of YouPorn, said in a statement. “Now, our community members can peruse our site even more safely, knowing they have that extra layer of security.”