After the state adopts a plan to keep children away from raunch
Lawmakers in Utah recently adopted a requirement that porn sites online verify the age of site users.
They wanted to cut down on the number of children accessing the XXX-rated material.
They got much more than they asked for, however, as Pornhub, a giant in the genre of raunch online, shut down its services to the entire state of Utah in response to the law.
Instead of access, Utahns were given a video of adult entertainer Cherie DeVille, fully clothed, explaining she thinks the law requiring sites to verify users are at least 18 years old is wrong.
Immediately, the Daily Mail sounded the alarm that this could be “the beginning of the end for online porn.”
The report explained, “Utah’s new law, SB 287, compels websites with pornographic material to require users submit identification cards, so that the site owners can verify their age. If the online platform refuses to comply, they can be held liable if minors access their content.”
It reported four states so far have adopted similar provisions, and proposals have been under review with dozens more.
“Supporters of SB 287 in Utah say it is a common-sense measure to protect children from porn, which was declared a ‘public health hazard’ in the state in 2016,” the report said, noting online retailers for vaping and alcohol already do that.
But “Big Porn” objects.
A trade association for porn interests sued the state, claiming the law infringes members’ First Amendment rights.
Pornhub said it cannot comply because the law requires it to “collect” users’ personal data.
But a lawyer for the National Center of Sexual Exploitation told the Daily Mail the U.S. Supreme Court has affirmed that “protecting our children from the harms and effects of pornography is a ‘compelling governmental interest.'”
According to the Los Angeles Times, the law was signed by Republican Gov. Spencer Cox in March.
Lawmakers said, in the report, they left open just how a company must verify age, but does require that process to be installed.
The governor, in a statement, said that asking companies that distribute pornography to verify users’ age is the “least we can do as a society.”
