Wisconsin governor rejects mandatory age verification for porn sites
▼ Summary
– Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers vetoed a bill that would have mandated age verification for accessing pornographic websites.
– The governor stated the bill placed an intrusive burden on adults accessing constitutionally protected material.
– The proposed legislation would have required sites with over one-third adult content to implement a reasonable verification method.
– That verification method could have included users showing a government-issued ID.
– Over two dozen other states in the US have already enacted similar age verification laws.
Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers has blocked legislation that would have mandated age verification for accessing adult content online. In a formal veto letter, Evers argued the proposed law placed an intrusive burden on adults seeking to view constitutionally protected material. The bill, known as AB 105, targeted websites where more than a third of content is considered harmful to minors, requiring them to implement a reasonable verification method like checking a government-issued ID.
This action places Wisconsin in contrast with a growing national trend. More than two dozen states have already enacted comparable laws designed to restrict minors’ access to pornographic material online. Proponents of such legislation consistently cite child protection as the primary goal. However, Governor Evers’ decisive veto highlights a significant counterargument, focusing on the privacy implications and access barriers for consenting adults. The debate underscores the ongoing tension between implementing online safety measures and preserving digital privacy rights for all users.
(Source: The Verge)
