The US Supreme Court has upheld a Texas law that could have broad implications for online free speech. The court ruled 6-3 in affirming Texas law HB 1181, which requires websites that host adult content to implement age verification.<br /> The nonprofit Free Speech Coalition petitioned the top court in April 2024 to review the law. (The organization represents the adult industry.) Texas was one of many states passing age-verification laws aimed at porn websites. Pornhub has exited 17 states due to similar legislation.<br /> Critics across the political spectrum have noted that HB 1181 has concerning implications for the First Amendment and online privacy. The EFF notes that no age verification method exists that is both accurate and respects user privacy. (Unlike flashing an ID [...]
An Arkansas law requiring social media companies to verify the ages of their users has been struck down by a federal judge who ruled that it was unconstitutional. The decision is a significant victory [...]
Washington state residents may soon be forced to produce IDs before getting onto websites with pornographic content. Within the state's House of Representatives, Rep. Mari Leavitt introduced Hous [...]
The Supreme Court has decided not to weigh in on one of the many state-level age-verification laws currently being reviewed across the country. Today, the top court chose not to intervene on legislati [...]
Later this month, Italian citizens will have one extra step to go through before getting on porn sites. On Friday, Italy's regulatory agency for communications, known as AGCOM, announced an age v [...]
Microsoft is implementing an age verification system on Xbox accounts to comply with the UK's Online Safety Act, and in a new blog post announcing the move, the company suggests it'll come t [...]