Overview
- Utah’s Online Age Verification Amendments, which take effect Wednesday, make the state the first to hold websites liable when Utah users bypass age checks with VPNs.
- The statute treats anyone physically inside Utah as accessing from Utah even if they use a VPN or proxy, and it requires age checks on sites with a substantial portion of material deemed harmful to minors.
- Covered websites are forbidden from posting instructions that encourage VPN use to evade age gates, a limit the EFF says raises free-speech concerns.
- Security experts say sites cannot reliably detect all VPN traffic or a user’s true location, which could push operators to block known VPN IPs or require ID checks for every visitor.
- Details on enforcement remain unclear, with reports indicating websites are expected to act only if they become aware a Utah-based person is using a VPN, and advocates warn the approach could spread to other states.