Home / Technology / Privacy Advocates Slam Utah's VPN Law
Privacy Advocates Slam Utah's VPN Law
5 May
Summary
- Utah enacted a law to address VPN loopholes in age verification systems.
- Critics argue the law harms digital privacy and sets a concerning precedent.
- Websites face technical challenges in enforcing VPN-based location rules.
Utah has enacted a new law, the Online Age Verification Amendments, effective May 5, 2026, to combat the use of VPNs in circumventing age verification for online content, particularly pornography. Privacy advocates, including the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), are strongly opposing the measure, warning it sets a dangerous precedent.
The law asserts that individuals physically located in Utah are considered Utah residents, irrespective of VPN usage. The EFF highlights the technical impracticality for websites to accurately determine a VPN user's real location, potentially forcing them to either block all known VPN IP addresses or implement age verification for all global users.
Furthermore, the law prohibits websites hosting material deemed harmful to minors from encouraging VPN use. This provision raises significant First Amendment concerns, as it may restrict platforms from providing information about privacy tools to their users. The precedent set by Utah could influence similar legislation in other states and countries.
Enforcement details remain unclear, with websites expected to act only upon becoming aware of a Utah resident accessing content via a VPN. This unprecedented step in the growing age-verification landscape could reshape how online privacy tools are treated by lawmakers worldwide.
