Trade group files lawsuit against Utah over website age-verification law
May 3, 2023, 7:11 PM
FILE: Utah Rep. Ryan Wilcox, R-Ogden, wants to create better criteria for issuing Amber Alerts, saying "overuse" has led to people ignoring them. (Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News)
(Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News)
SALT LAKE CITY — A not-for-profit association is suing the state of Utah over an age-verification law that went into effect Wednesday.
The plaintiffs, Free Speech Coalition, claim that the Utah law infringes on constitutional privacy and free speech rights by requiring anyone viewing an adult site to upload their government-issued ID for verification.
“The Utah law restricts adults’ access to legal speech and violates decades of Supreme Court precedent,” said Alison Boden, Executive Director of Free Speech Coalition, in a press release. “We are fighting not only for the rights of our members and the larger adult entertainment community but for the right of all Americans to access constitutionally-protected expression in the privacy of their own home.”
The new Utah law, SB287 Online Pornography Viewing Age Requirements, forces sites with content made for 18+ viewers to provide an age verification login or face legal liabilities.
This lawsuit follows the Canadian-owned adult entrainment website, Pornhub, blocking Utahns from viewing the website on Monday.
Free Speech Coalition vs Utah “Porn Lawsuit” 2023 by Michael Houck on Scribd
