No more Pornhub? That will depend on what happens with a Senate bill

The owners of Pornhub say blocking access to Canadians is among options they're considering as they try to persuade parliamentarians to reject an approach for age verification outlined in a controversial Senate bill.

«We've taken different options in different jurisdictions,» said Solomon Friedman, a partner and vice-president of compliance at Ethical Capital Partners, which owns Pornhub's parent company, Aylo.

«I don't want to speculate on (the bill) in its current state. We're going to committee to ensure that the wrong legislation doesn't get passed.»

A House of Commons committee is set to study legislation proposed by Independent Sen. Julie Miville-Dechêne that would require Canadians to verify their age to access porn online.

The bill outlines a range of concerns about minors having access to sexually explicit material, including the potential to develop a pornography addiction and the reinforcement of harmful gender stereotypes.

It proposes companies that host such material ensure young people cannot access it, under threat of fines between $250,000 and $500,000.

The legislation doesn't specify how sites should verify a user's age, but options include the establishment of a digital ID system or services that can estimate an individual's age based on a visual scan of their face.

Such suggestions have prompted widespread concern from privacy experts about the overarching impacts, from the risks associated with asking Canadians to share personal information with an external provider to the use of measures such as facial recognition technology.

Others have warned age verification could lead to a stifling of free expression, as some companies would likely rather block access to their sites.

Others, they warn, could simply find