There are big changes afoot for people watching porn in Utah

People in Utah will have to verify their age before accessing some online porn after the passing of a new state law.

Adult film giant Pornhub has blocked users in Utah and introduced a new age verification requirement for viewers in the US state before restricted access to its website is granted.

It comes after the state’s governor Spencer Cox signed legislation that demands adult sites make reasonable efforts to ensure users are aged 18 or over.

But, it is not just porn sites that will be affected by the law changes. From 1 March 2024, all social media platforms will be required to verify the age of users in Utah, or users face having their accounts permanently blocked.

In addition, legal action could also be taken against companies that fail to adhere to the state’s new regulations.

A spokesperson for Pornhub made their view on the new law known and argued that it will drive people towards unsafe sites.

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In a statement, they said: “As you may know your elected officials have required us to verify your age before granting you access to our website.

“While safety and compliance are at the forefront of our mission, giving your ID card every time you want to visit an adult platform is not the most effective solution for protecting our users. And in fact, will put children and your privacy at risk.

“As we’ve seen in other states, this just drives traffic to sites with far fewer safety measures in place.”

The company argued that the solution is age verification by device, not by requiring ID verification at each login.

It explained: “We believe that the best and most effective solution for protecting children and adults alike is to identify users by their device and allow access to age-restricted materials and websites based on that identification.”

Republican Utah state senator, Todd Weiler, responded to the adult site’s statement, claimimng that it is not a big ask for the website to confirm age.

Weiler told Ars, “Utah’s new law only requires adult sites to make reasonable efforts to confirm that the consumers of their content are adults”, adding: “I don’t think that is too much to ask.”

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