Wisconsin’s governor rejects age verification for pornography

Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers rejected a proposed law that would have mandated residents to confirm their age before reaching pornographic websites, as earlier reported by 404 Media. In a communication to assembly members the previous week, Evers stated that the measure “places an intrusive strain on adults seeking access to constitutionally protected materials.”

The legislation (AB 105) would have mandated that sites with over one-third of their total content categorized as harmful to minors implement a “reasonable” form of age validation, such as requesting users to display their government-issued identification. More than two dozen states have already implemented similar age verification regulations for access to adult content, encompassing Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Missouri, Texas, and Virginia. Consequently, Pornhub has restricted its site in these areas.

Recently, the Wisconsin chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union testified that AB 105 “raises considerable concerns regarding privacy, surveillance, and the First Amendment,” which seems to align with Evers’ views. “I am vetoing this bill in its entirety as I take issue with its violation of the personal privacy of Wisconsin citizens,” Evers stated, expressing concerns about data security and the potential misuse of personally identifiable information collected through the age verification process.

An initial version of Wisconsin’s age verification legislation also proposed a prohibition on virtual private networks (VPNs), which individuals have been utilizing to bypass online age checks. Lawmakers eliminated this clause in February, although VPNs are increasingly facing scrutiny from regulators worldwide.

Despite nullifying this legislation, Evers is open to other variations of age verification methods, including “device-based” approaches that would authenticate the age of users through their mobile devices or computers.