Utah pauses enforcement of VPN age-verification law pending federal ruling
The state’s Department of Commerce has suspended enforcement of SB 73 while a federal judge considers a challenge from Aylo, the parent company of Pornhub.
Utah authorities have temporarily suspended the enforcement of SB 73, a state law targeting the use of virtual private networks in age verification, while awaiting a federal court decision. The state’s Department of Commerce announced the pause after the legislation, which technically went into effect on Thursday, was challenged in federal court.
Utah became the first US state to pass a law specifically targeting VPN usage as part of a broader crackdown on adult content. Signed into law in March, SB 73 was positioned by the legislature as amendments to the state’s existing age verification framework. The measure stipulates that any person physically located in Utah is considered to be accessing a website from the state, regardless of whether they are using a VPN.
The law holds website owners liable if they host a substantial portion of material deemed harmful to minors and facilitate or encourage the use of VPNs. Although the legislation stops short of an outright ban on VPNs, it creates a direct liability for sites that allow users to mask their location. This stance has alarmed privacy and digital rights advocates who warn of broader implications for internet freedom.
The Electronic Frontier Foundation noted in April that if a website cannot reliably detect a VPN user’s true location, the legal risk could push the site to ban all known VPN IP addresses or mandate age verification for every visitor globally. The organisation warned this would subject millions of users to invasive identity checks or blocks on their VPN use, regardless of their actual residence.
The legal challenge was filed by Aylo, the owner of Pornhub, which argues that while it does not oppose all forms of age verification, the current implementation in the US creates a substantial risk for identity theft and privacy issues. Aylo has blocked access to its platform in 25 US states rather than comply with various age verification laws.
The presiding federal judge stated at a hearing on Thursday that he could not commit to a specific timeline for issuing a ruling. Consequently, the exact duration of the enforcement delay remains unclear, leaving the status of the law in limbo as the court case plays out.
