Adult entertainment platform Stripchat lost its challenge to stricter EU oversight on Wednesday. The General Court upheld the Commission’s decision even though later corrected figures put its audience below the threshold for the toughest rules.
The dispute concerned how many people used the platform, and therefore whether it qualified as a “very large online platform” under the Digital Services Act. That status brings additional requirements on transparency, risk management and oversight.
Stripchat’s operator, Technius, reported approximately 31.8 million monthly active users in the EU. The Commission calculated more than 62 million, above the law’s 45-million threshold, and placed Stripchat under the Digital Services Act’s strictest rules in December 2023. The court dismissed the company’s challenge in full.
A later correction did not overturn the decision
Both sides used figures from analytics provider Similarweb. Stripchat made an additional reduction for visitors who left without seeing content. Judges found that Similarweb’s calculation already filtered out many such visits, so the company’s adjustment “artificially reduced the actual number” of active users.
Similarweb later changed its methodology, putting the relevant audience at approximately 37.3 million. But the court assessed the Commission’s decision against the information available when it was adopted. The later correction did not make that decision unlawful.
The ruling upholds the original designation; it does not establish Stripchat’s current audience size. Technius can appeal on points of law within two months and ten days of being notified of the judgment.
