Bill requiring porn sites to verify user age in Virginia signed into law

[bnew]

Bill requiring porn sites to verify user age in Virginia signed into law

If the governor does not act on the bill within thirty days after the adjournment of the reconvened session, the bill shall become law without his signature.

www.wtkr.com

By: Julia Varnier
Posted at 10:49 AM, May 12, 2023 and last updated 10:24 PM, May 12, 2023



VIRGINIA — A bill that requires users be asked to provide identification before viewing porn websites has been signed into law.

The governor signed it into law Friday night and it is expected to go into effect on July 1.

The bill passed the General Assembly this year alongside strong bipartisan support.

A similar law has been put in place in Utah, which took effect earlier this month.

Pornhub, in retaliation, blocked all users in Utah from accessing their content. The Associated Press claims that those in Utah who attempt to access the site are now greeted with a “Dear User” letter and accompanying video from an adult film actor explaining the company’s stance.


According to Axios, the porn industry is warning Virginians that they could lose access to those adult sites if Gov. Youngkin was to sign the strict new age verification legislation.


Virginia's new law requires sites verify users are 18, but the state does not yet offer a digital ID that companies can tap into, said Mike Stabile, a spokesman for the Free Speech Coalition, an adult industry trade group.

Axios also reported that Youngkin’s press secretary, Macaulay Porter, disputed the notion that it would be difficult for sites to comply with the law without a state-provided digital ID.

 

[bnew]

Porn sites threaten Virginia blockade if Youngkin signs age verification bill

"Platforms that want to comply will not be able to."

www.axios.com

[/U]

May 4, 2023 - Politics

Porn sites threaten Virginia blockade if Youngkin signs age verification bill​

The porn industry is warning Virginians could lose access to adult sites if Gov. Glenn Youngkin signs strict new age verification legislation currently on his desk.

Driving the news: That's exactly what happened this week in Utah when a similar bill went into effect.

• Pornhub.com now opens on devices in Utah with a message that states the company has "made the difficult decision to completely disable access to our website in Utah," reports Axios' Erin Alberty.

What they're saying: Virginia's proposed law requires sites verify users are 18, but the state does not yet offer a digital ID that companies can tap into, said Mike Stabile, a spokesman for the Free Speech Coalition, an adult industry trade group.

• He said issues with commercial age verification alternatives make them a no-go for the industry as well.
• "Platforms that want to comply will not be able to, but will still be liable for lawsuits for non-compliance," he said.

The other side: Youngkin’s press secretary, Macaulay Porter, disputed the notion that it would be difficult for sites to comply with the law without a state-provided digital ID.

Of note: The DMV has said it plans to role out digital IDs later this year, but a spokeswoman says they will be used for in-person identification only.

Between the lines: It sounds like Youngkin is inclined to sign the bill, which passed with near unanimous support.

• “The governor is committed to protecting Virginia’s children from dangerous material on the internet,” Porter said.

 

[Matt504]

 

[bnew]

Online age verification: balancing privacy and the protection of minors

Online age verification: a complex issue with significant privacy risks Verifying the age of an Internet user is hampered by the difficulty for the various technical stakeholders on the Internet to really know who is the person behind the computer or smartphone. This need to identify Internet...

www.cnil.fr

snippet:

An inevitably imperfect verification​

With regard to the devices currently available on the market, the CNIL would first like to stress that the effectiveness of age verification tools depends on the operating rules of the Internet, which is designed as an open network, freely accessible to site users and publishers. While this finding should not prevent the pursuit of the legitimate objectives of protecting minors, care should also be taken to preserve the many benefits linked to this open model (innovation, freedom of expression, user autonomy, etc.). The move towards a closed digital world, where individuals are encouraged to register mainly in authenticated universes (via the creation of user accounts) to avoid a multiplication of identity or identity attribute verifications (age, address, diplomas, etc.) presents significant risks for the rights and freedoms of individuals, which need to be taken into account.

At present, all the solutions proposed can easily be circumvented. Indeed, the use of a simple VPN locating the Internet user in a country that does not require an age verification of this order can allow a minor to bypass an age verification system applied in France, or to bypass the blocking of a website that does not comply with its legal obligations. Similarly, it is difficult to certify that the person using a proof of age is the one who obtained it.

For example, in the UK, where such measures have long been considered, 23% of minors say they can bypass blocking measures and some pornographic content publishers already offer VPN services.

If the use of VPNs must be subject to a certain vigilance, it should be stressed that such technologies are also one of the essential building blocks of the security of exchanges on the Internet, used by many companies, but also by individuals wishing to protect their browsing from the tracking conducted by public or private stakeholders.

not sure why you're impressed.

 

[ORDER_66]

GodSpeed Virginia...

 

[Ineedmoney504]

Already enacted in Louisiana. But just pornhub is following the law

 

[Pull Up the Roots]

All you gotta do is say "the kids!!!" and gullible folks will voluntarily surrender their rights.

Thread by @nprandchill on Thread Reader App

@nprandchill: The Louisiana age verification porn law will limit adult porn access and could be used to limit internet access more broadly 🧵 (1/n) First looking at how this law will impact porn access for adults,...…

threadreaderapp.com

This is about the Louisiana law, but it applies to every state trying to pass these backwards laws.

People really shouldn't cheer this on.

 

[13473]

All you gotta do is say "the kids!!!" and gullible folks will voluntarily surrender their rights.

Thread by @nprandchill on Thread Reader App

@nprandchill: The Louisiana age verification porn law will limit adult porn access and could be used to limit internet access more broadly 🧵 (1/n) First looking at how this law will impact porn access for adults,...…

threadreaderapp.com

This is about the Louisiana law, but it applies to every state trying to pass these backwards laws.

People really shouldn't cheer this on.

your internet provider tracks your history anyway, even with a private browser. they sell your info or share it, sometimes with government

 

[Paper Boi]

Already enacted in Louisiana. But just pornhub is following the law

most these boomer lawmakers not gonna know any other website and honestly there are a lot of loopholes anyway.

i bet VPN sales shooting up.

i don't have a problem with these laws in theory, but i would not trust these sites with my PII like that.

they shady as shyt. anybody uploading their photo ID to SPANK BANG DOT COM would be a cot damn fool.

 

[Matt504]

not sure why you're impressed.

"but the kids can get around it" doesn't negate the fact that these states are raising the barrier of entry.

 

[Ezekiel 25:17]

Here comes the coli brigade with all their takes

 

[OneDeep]

People are just going to get a VPN on desktop computer

And just turn off your phones WiFi to get around it

 

[collateral.]

Citizens are being pushed by their p*ssyass state government, go figure. Cali and Tri state brehs we good.

 

[O³ (O cubed)]

The last days of anonymity in the internet arem upon us.

People in their late teens to their early 50s have enjoyed the Wild West of the World Wide Web. It has almost gone.

Soon you'll need to verify yourself for everything. Even posting on forums.

 

[SupremexKing]

im looking real funny style at anyone in favor of more social intervention by the govt, state or federal.

we don't need the government to protect kids from porn. thats the role of the parent.

far more adults use porn than children.