A new law in Utah is set to take effect on Wednesday, introducing stricter liability standards for adult websites when minors bypass age-verification systems using tools such as VPNs (Virtual Private Networks).
Signed into law earlier this year as Senate Bill 73 (SB 73), the legislation updates enforcement and investigative frameworks around age verification requirements. It also introduces a 2% excise tax on adult websites operating in the state, but this won’t come into force until 1st October.
The provision coming into effect this week focuses specifically on geolocation circumvention. Under the law, a user will be considered to be accessing a website from within Utah if they’re physically located in the state – regardless of whether they use a virtual private network, proxy server, or other methods to mask or misrepresent their location.
This development reflects a broader legislative and regulatory trend aimed at closing loopholes in age-verification systems. Lawmakers are increasingly focused on addressing the widespread use of circumvention tools that allow underage users to bypass geographic restrictions.
Similar efforts are emerging across the United States. In Ohio, proposed legislation known as the “Innocence Act” would require adult platforms to deploy geofencing systems managed by licensed location-based technology providers to verify a user’s physical presence within the state continuously. At the federal level, Washington’s proposed Kids Internet and Digital Safety (KIDS) Act includes provisions requiring websites to take “reasonable measures” to prevent circumvention of age-verification mechanisms.
Utah’s more explicit stance on VPN use could shape how these rules are enforced going forward, and may open the door to further legal challenges around how much responsibility platforms carry when users actively try to get around restrictions.
