Utah's Age-Verification Law Targets VPNs, Risks Ensnaring All Users
Utah's SB 73, an age-verification law taking effect on May 6, aims to prevent minors from accessing porn sites by targeting the use of VPNs to bypass location-based restrictions. The law requires websites to verify the age of Utah users, even if they are using a VPN, but its vague language raises concerns about enforceability and potential overreach. Critics warn it could lead to widespread age verification requirements or blocks for all users, including those outside Utah.
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A new age-verification law set to take effect in Utah next week aims to crack down on minors using VPNs to access porn sites. But the law is vague, raising fears it could be used to push age verification to more users in an effort to clamp down on suspected VPN use. SB 73, the Online Age Verification Amendments, includes a provision targeting VPNs and proxy networks that can conceal your location and bypass age-verification laws. Pornhub, for example, has blocked access in several states and countries in protest of the laws, but people can get around it by using a VPN.Utah’s law tries to close that loophole by barring porn sites operating in the state from recommending VPNs, including posting instructions on how to access them.
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