GoKawiilUtah's SB 73 age-verification law now requires ID checks even for VPN users
Utah has enacted Senate Bill 73, an age-verification law requiring adult websites to confirm users' ages regardless of whether they use a VPN or proxy to mask their location. The law, which had been delayed by a court injunction after a challenge from Pornhub owner Aylo, imposes fines up to $2,500 per violation and bars sites from telling users how to bypass verification with a VPN.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
The law assumes websites can reliably detect VPN traffic and pinpoint a user's real location, which isn't technically feasible with certainty—meaning legitimate users could be wrongly blocked while others slip through. VPN provider Nord warns that some adult sites may respond by verifying every visitor globally, not just those in Utah, extending the law's practical reach far beyond state lines.
- Utah is the first US state to explicitly target VPN use in age-verification legislation.
- Sites failing to comply face fines up to $2,500 per violation and can't advise users on VPN workarounds.
- Enforcement may push adult sites to impose global age checks, affecting users outside Utah entirely.
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Published there as: “Utah becomes the first US state to target VPNs as its new age-verification law takes effect today”
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