Pornhub and several big-name adult websites have blocked access for Utah’s residents due to a new age v restriction law that will be in effect Wednesday.
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The adult sites started blocking visitors with Utah-based IP addresses earlier this week. When a user attempts to navigate the site, they will see a message that opposes SB287, a bill signed by Gov. Spencer Cox that makes adult sites a liability for making content available for people under the age of 18.
“As you may know, your elected officials in Utah are requiring us to verify your age before allowing you access to our website. While safety and compliance are at the forefront of our mission, giving your ID card every time you want to visit an adult platform is not the most effective solution for protecting our users, and in fact, will put children and your privacy at risk.”
The message continued to say: “Until a real solution is offered, we have made the difficult decision to completely disable access to our website in Utah.” A call of action was explained to residents that they need to ask their government officials to find a better solution for age verification laws. However, Utah is not the only state asking for age restriction as US senators called for a nationwide ban on social media use for users under the age of 13. According to CNN, Arkansas has already approved age restriction policies for social media.
so just to be 100% clear:
Utah asked pornhub to make sure only adults accessed their site and pornhub is upset about this pic.twitter.com/VoqpvVeijq
— pagliacci the hater 🌞(@Slatzism) May 3, 2023
asking any website to take responsibility for peoples children is unacceptable. the internet doesn’t exist to be kid-friendly and if a parent is concerned they should install software that lets them regulate and block sites like porn.
this is a enduser responsibility.— Vibe Collector (@boredonterra) May 3, 2023
Utah passes a law that says sites like Pornhub must do age verification… they said nah we ain’t doing that… they simply made their site unavailable to the whole state of Utah😂😂😂😂what is really weird is that the state of Utah is one of top consumers of their content and…
— Prez🌊🌊🌊🌹🌻👀👀🌎❄️🥃🥂🧉🌈(@PrezLives2022) May 2, 2023
Louisiana approved its first age verification law in January and adult sites are still available but residents have to enter their information through the state’s digital ID system called LA Wallet.
The Louisiana Office of Motor Vehicles (OMV) developed the digital identity and driver’s license app known as LA Wallet, which is short for Louisiana Wallet. It was introduced in July 2018, and Louisianans have grown to like it ever since.
The software offers a safe option for Louisiana drivers to store their identification and driver’s license on their cellphones and is accessible for free on both the software Store and Google Play. Law enforcement officials recognize LA Wallet as a legitimate form of identification, and it can be used to confirm an individual’s age while buying alcohol or cigarettes.