Utah Becomes First State to Target VPNs in Age-Verification Crackdown
Utah’s SB 73 makes Utah the first state to directly target VPN use in age verification for adult content. Websites that knowingly publish material harmful to minors and whose content exceeds one-third such material must verify ages of Utah users even if they hide their location with VPNs or proxies. The law treats physically present Utah users as Utah users regardless of masking tools and bars covered sites from facilitating circumvention, including by posting VPN instructions or guidance on bypassing geographic blocks. Violations can trigger fines or civil penalties up to $2,500 each. Verification providers may not retain identifying data after access is granted. The law has drawn First Amendment concerns because it restricts speech about VPNs and privacy tools.
