Utah will become the first US state to prohibit using VPNs to bypass age-verification requirements on websites. Senate Bill 73 takes effect on Wednesday and holds sites liable for users masking their location while in the state. Privacy advocates warn of widespread disruptions to internet access.
Senate Bill 73, set to go into effect on Wednesday, treats VPN users in Utah as physically located in the state for age-verification purposes. Websites will face liability for individuals who mask their location to avoid these barriers. The measure marks the first major US effort to regulate VPN use in this way, following similar proposals in Wisconsin and Michigan, as first reported by CNET. Representatives for the Utah Senate and the Electronic Frontier Foundation did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Privacy advocates have raised alarms over the law's potential fallout. The Electronic Frontier Foundation warned that sites unable to reliably detect VPN users' true locations might ban all known VPN IP addresses or impose global age verification to mitigate legal risks. They described the challenge as a 'technical whack-a-mole that likely no company can win.' The legislation echoes recent age-verification mandates in Australia and the UK aimed at restricting access to harmful content for minors.
