Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has launched a legal assault on two major pornography providers, Multi Media, LLC and Hammy Media, for flouting the state's age verification law. With the websites "Chaturbate" and "xHamster" under scrutiny, the companies are accused of presenting obscene material to minors and failing to implement any substantial screening process, according to the Texas Attorney General's Office.

Despite the requirements set forth by HB 1181 to block minors from accessing pornographic content, the lawsuit alleges that the companies have neglected these safeguards. Facing the possibility of millions in civil penalties, these companies could feel the weight of the law for neglecting to adhere to Texas' standards. With previous victories in November 2023 and earlier this month, Paxton has fortified Texas' stance against challenges that the law infringes upon First Amendment rights—a claim that has been struck down.

In a previous move, Paxton targeted Aylo Global Entertainment, the operator of Pornhub. Rather than adjusting their operations to meet Texas' demands, Pornhub chose to deactivate its service across the state. "In Texas, companies cannot get away with showing porn to children. If they don’t want to comply, they should leave Texas,” Paxton stated, suggesting companies like Pornhub are on the defensive in light of Texas’ stringent legal framework, as per the Texas Attorney General's Office.

Penalties for any transgressions are severe, including fines of up to $10,000 per day, an additional $10,000 for illegitimate retention of user information, and a quarter of a million dollars if a minor comes into contact with pornographic material due to inadequate age verification. "I will continue to aggressively enforce HB 1181. All pornography companies lacking proper age verification safeguards on their sites should consider themselves on notice because they’re violating Texas law,” declared Paxton, putting other operators in the industry on guard.