Some Adult Platforms Are Banning Content and Creators From Alabama and North Carolina

Content creators across the U.S. were shaken this week when Krystal Davis posted a message on X (Twitter) revealing that one of her platforms would no longer accept adult content connected to Alabama or North Carolina.

According to the notice, the platform will reject:

1. Any productions shot in Alabama or North Carolina.
2. Any productions featuring talent who legally reside in those states.
3. Any productions featuring talent whose ID documents were issued by those states.

The cutoff dates are tied to new laws:

• Alabama: applies to content shot on or after October 1, 2024.
• North Carolina: applies to content shot on or after December 1, 2025.

Krystal Davis stated that her notice came from Adult Empire, while another creator said she received a similar notice from Adult Time. However, it's likely that quite a few of them will implement this policy in the near future. Guess we can call this another Project 2025 win.

But why is this happening?

The answer is that both states recently passed sweeping laws regulating online adult content—laws that place heavy legal risk on platforms. In response, many platforms appear to be geoblocking creators from those states rather than attempting compliance.

This article breaks down both laws and explains why companies are responding this way.

Alabama’s HB164: A Strict Age-Verification and Consent Law With Heavy Penalties

Alabama’s HB164, which took effect in most sections on October 1, 2024, is framed as a “consumer protection” and anti-pornography measure. But the practical impact on adult platforms is enormous.

1. Mandatory Age Verification for All Adult Sites

Any commercial entity that “knowingly and intentionally publishes or distributes sexual material harmful to minors” must use a “reasonable age-verification method” to verify that all users accessing the site are 18+.

Platforms must also ensure that any third-party verification services cannot retain any identifying information.

Noncompliance exposes them to:

• Civil lawsuits from any injured individual
• Civil penalties up to $10,000 per violation
• Treatment as a violation of Alabama’s deceptive trade practices law

2. Strict Written-Consent Requirements for All “Private Images”

Before publishing any “private image” (which includes sexual images), a platform must obtain written, notarised consent from every depicted person.

Platforms must also store these records for five years.

3. Mandatory Warning Labels on Every Page

The law requires large, government-written warning labels on homepages and every page of adult websites. These include statements such as:

• “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 imposes a 10% gross-receipts tax on any adult site for sales, memberships, subscriptions, and any material produced, generated, or based in Alabama.

Why Platforms Are Responding by Blocking Alabama

From a platform’s perspective, Alabama now creates:

• High legal liability
• Complex data-handling obligations
• Ongoing compliance costs
• A punitive tax if any content is connected to the state
• Risk of civil lawsuits for each alleged violation

Rather than navigate all this, some companies appear to be banning Alabama-linked content entirely.

North Carolina’s HB805: Extremely Broad “Pornographic Image” Verification Rules

North Carolina’s HB805, enacted in 2025 and effective December 1, 2025, for the relevant section, is even more burdensome for adult platforms. While the bill covers many topics—from defining “biological sex” to school library rules—Article 51A: Prevent Sexual Exploitation of Women and Minors is the part disrupting the adult industry.

1. Age and Consent Documentation for Every Person in Every Pornographic Image

Before an online entity publishes any pornographic image, it must verify ALL of the following for each person depicted:

• The individual was at least 18 at the time of creation.
• Written consent for each sex act performed.
• Written consent specifically for distribution of the image.

Consent for performing the act does not count as consent to distribute it.

Platforms must collect:

• A full consent form with name, birthdate, signature, and statements about age and rights
• At least one government-issued ID matching the consent form

2. Mandatory Removal System With 72-Hour Deadlines

The law requires a rapid takedown system:

• If a performer requests removal, the platform must delete the image within 72 hours, even if all consent was valid.
• Any dispute about consent requires temporary removal.
• Platforms must block re-uploads permanently.

3. Massive Civil Penalties

The North Carolina Attorney General can impose:

• Up to $10,000 per day per image for failure to remove content
• Up to $5,000 per day for violating publishing rules or notices

Performers may also sue platforms directly for $10,000 per day per image.

Why Platforms Are Banning North Carolina Content

HB805’s obligations are so strict that platforms may decide it's too risky to allow any content from North Carolina. Specifically:

• Every performer from NC requires new, state-compliant consent documentation.
• Old content or content shot elsewhere involving an NC resident may still violate the law.
• Any dispute over consent—even mistaken—can trigger huge daily fines.
• The platform must guarantee it can permanently block future uploads.

For large sites hosting millions of videos, compliance becomes nearly impossible.

You may notice the ban includes:

• Talent living in these states
• Talent with state-issued identification, regardless of where they work
• Content shot in the States

This is because both laws apply based on where the people depicted live or where the content was produced, not just where it is uploaded. Platforms may therefore block:

• Performers who live in these states (to avoid verifying their consent under state-specific rules)
• Any content filmed in these states (to avoid jurisdiction claims)
• Anyone with an Alabama or NC ID (since the platform may be considered to be “publishing” content from that jurisdiction)

The legal risk remains even if the content is uploaded from a different state.

Adult platforms aren’t banning Alabama and North Carolina performers arbitrarily; they're reacting to extremely broad laws that make the states legally dangerous for hosting adult content.

• Alabama’s HB164 adds strict age-verification, prohibits data retention, requires notarised consent for “private images,” mandates warning labels, and imposes a 10% tax.
• North Carolina’s HB805 requires separate consents for every sex act and image distribution, collects detailed ID documentation, and imposes massive per-day fines for noncompliance.

Faced with these obligations, some platforms appear to be choosing the simplest path: blocking all content associated with Alabama and NC to avoid legal exposure. Will others follow suit? It's likely many will, as it's just not worth the risk.