Wisconsin governor says ‘no’ to age checks for porn
Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers vetoed a bill that would’ve required residents to verify their age before accessing porn sites, as reported earlier by 404 Media. In a letter to the members of the assembly last week, Evers writes that the bill “imposes an intrusive burden on adults who are trying to access constitutionally protected materials.”
The bill (AB 105) would’ve required sites with more than one-third of their total content deemed harmful to minors to impose a “reasonable” form of age verification, such as asking users to show their government-issued ID. More than two dozen states have already passed similar age check requirements for access to adult content, including Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Missouri, Texas, and Virginia. As a result, Pornhub has blocked its site in these locations.
Last month, the Wisconsin American Civil Liberties Union testified that AB-105 “raises significant concerns around privacy, surveillance, and the First Amendment,” and it seems like Governor Evers agreed. “I am vetoing this bill in its entirety because I object to this bill’s intrusion into the personal privacy of Wisconsin residents,” Evers writes, adding that he’s “concerned about data security and the potential for misuse of personally identifiable information” obtained as a result of the age verification process.
An early version of Wisconsin’s age verification bill also included a ban on virtual private networks (VPN), which people have been using to circumvent online age checks. Lawmakers dropped this provision in February, though VPNs are becoming a target for regulators around the globe.
Despite vetoing this bill, Evers is leaving the door open for other kinds of age verification solutions, such as “device-based” methods that would verify the age of users on their phone or computer.
Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers vetoed a bill that would’ve required residents to verify their age before accessing porn sites, as reported earlier by 404 Media. In a letter to the members of the assembly last week, Evers writes that the bill “imposes an intrusive burden on adults who are trying…
Recent Posts
- Apple is bringing age verification to Texas this week
- How to watch NBA Finals 2026: Free streams, schedule, TV channels for New York Knicks vs San Antonio Spurs
- WiiM expands its whole-home ecosystem with a new soundbar
- You can make the hyper-violence in Marvel’s Wolverine more PG-13, if you want to
- Best Buy launches a huge Sonos sale ahead of the World Cup — here are the 7 top-rated soundbars and speakers I’d buy
Archives
- June 2026
- May 2026
- April 2026
- March 2026
- February 2026
- January 2026
- December 2025
- November 2025
- October 2025
- September 2025
- August 2025
- July 2025
- June 2025
- May 2025
- April 2025
- March 2025
- February 2025
- January 2025
- December 2024
- November 2024
- October 2024
- September 2024
- August 2024
- July 2024
- June 2024
- May 2024
- April 2024
- March 2024
- February 2024
- January 2024
- December 2023
- November 2023
- October 2023
- September 2023
- August 2023
- July 2023
- June 2023