A few days ago the Utah state government enacted a new law that requires users to verify their age when accessing adult websites. However, it is not just any verification method, but rather each user must present the data of their ID to continue visiting the website.
As a means of protest, the popular pornography website Pornhub has disabled access for all users in Utahsince from the website they affirm that it is not the most effective method when it comes to protecting their users and that it would put their security and privacy at risk.
Users must verify their age through ID to enter adult websites
In this way, all users who are in the state of Utah will see an unusual message on this website accompanied by an explanatory video from the actress with adult content, Cherie Deville, every time they enter the portal.
“While security and compliance are at the forefront of our mission, handing over your ID every time you want to visit an adult platform is not the most effective solution to protect our users and will, in fact, jeopardize children and their privacy. Until a real solution is offered, we have made the difficult decision to completely disable access to our website in Utah.”
The Online Pornography Age Requirements Bill was signed into law by Governor Spencer Cox in Utah last March. After that, all websites that offer adult content must offer a state-approved user identification system, in this case the DNI. In this way, the government claims that it will prevent minors from accessing explicit content while holding companies legally responsible if they do not.
Long live the VPN
A similar law also went into effect earlier this year in the state of Louisiana. While Pornhub agreed to the restrictions in that state, Utah Senator Todd Weiler says the site will eventually relent in that state as well. Of course, in the meantime Utah users have already managed to be able to enter Pornhub without any type of restriction.
As can be seen in the infographic, Utah just moved to the top spot for VPN usage in the United States. The figures are not by chance, since Pornhub is among the 10 most visited pages in the country. So Utah residents have found a solution to continue accessing the website without problems, a classic response on the Internet.
The state is positioned as one of the most culturally conservativeAnd although from Pornhub they agree that there must be a verification system to protect minors, they also believe that this invasive method is not the solution.
From Pornhub they assure that one of the best solutions to protect the youngest and adults is through the identification of users through their devices and enable access to age-restricted material and websites based on this identification.
It is not the first time that these types of laws have come to light. In fact, the government in the United Kingdom is waiting to pass a law to force large firms and websites to also make use of restrictive verification systems. This is the Online Security Bill, and among its measures is ending end-to-end encryption of messaging applications if the government requires it if the evidence is necessary for an investigation, something that would violate privacy of the users.
Via | The Verge
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