Brazil's ANPD begins monitoring 18 major porn sites for age‑verification compliance

Brazil's National Data Protection Authority (ANPD) has launched a monitoring program covering 18 pornographic websites and escort services that together account for about 98% of adult‑content traffic in the country. The effort aims to verify that these platforms have effective age‑verification mechanisms to block access by children and adolescents, as required by the newly enacted Digital Child and Adolescent Statute (ECA Digital) and Decree No. 12 880/2026.

The monitoring is described by ANPD supervision superintendent Fabrício Guimarães as a “preventive, proportional and risk‑based” measure intended to assess companies' compliance plans, identify gaps, and inform future regulatory actions. The law, signed by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, obliges digital services to adopt robust age‑checking tools, remove illegal content promptly, and assume a duty of care for minors, shifting responsibility from courts to platforms.

Platforms under review include well‑known sites such as Pornhub, Xvideos, XNXX, XHamster and OnlyFans. Results will be used to guide possible administrative sanctions if the agencies find violations of the new rules.