Utah's VPN-for-porn ban is on hold, but not for long

A ban on VPNs to access porn sites was supposed to go into effect in Utah weeks ago, but it's now on hold. The statute, SB 73, expands on Utah's 2023 age-verification law (SB 287), which requires proof of age like a digital ID card, a third-party verification service, or a credit card, in order to view adult content or content the state deems "harmful to minors." Pornhub blocked itself from Utah when SB 287 went into effect. SB 73 instructs that a porn site can't "facilitate or encourage the use of a virtual private network [VPN]." A VPN masks someone's real location. This law functionally requires porn sites to somehow block traffic from VPNs, which the digital civil liberties nonprofit, Electronic Frontier Foundation, called "a technical whack-a-mole that likely no company can win." Apple AirPods Pro 3 Noise Cancelling Heart Rate Wireless Earbuds — $179.00 (List Price $249.00) Sony WH-1000XM5 Wireless Noise Canceling Headphones — $198.00 (List Price $399.99) Ring Indoor Cam Plus 2K Wired Security Camera (2-Pack, White) — $59.98 (List Price $119.98) Apple iPad 11" 128GB Wi-Fi Retina Tablet (Blue, 2025 Release) — $399.00 (List Price $449.00) Ring 2nd Gen 2K Wired Video Doorbell Wit