Utah won't force VPN rules on major adult-only sites as the battle continues in court

Date:
Mon, 07 Sep 2026 15:30:07 +0000

Description:
Utahs pioneering law targeting VPN usage for age verification on adult sites has officially taken effect, but authorities have agreed not to enforce it as a federal lawsuit from Pornhub's parent company, Aylo, continues to play out.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter Utah temporarily suspended its new age-verification rules for adult sites while a legal challenge is
underway Sites are liable for verifying local users, even if they use a VPN
to mask their location The lawsuit brought by Pornhub's parent, Aylo, cites technical flaws and privacy risks Utah has become the first state in the US
to enact legislation explicitly targeting the use of VPNs to bypass age-verification gates on adult websites. However, the state's authorities have agreed to temporarily halt enforcement while a legal challenge plays out in federal court.

According to a report from Engadget, Utah's Department of Commerce confirmed it will not enforce the measure, which officially went into effect on Thursday, September 3, against adult websites while it waits for a federal judge to rule. The delay stems from a lawsuit brought by Aylo, the parent company of Pornhub, which has argued that the mandate creates an unworkable technical standard for online platforms.

The temporary pause offers a sigh of relief for digital privacy advocates who feared the legislation could fundamentally compromise how the best VPN services operate.

By targeting the privacy tools themselves rather than just the content, VPN providers have previously told TechRadar that Utahs strict new law threatens to catch millions of innocent users in its crosshairs. You may like Utah becomes the first US state to target VPNs with a strict age verification law, but top providers refuse to budge Age verification failed. Regulating VPNs won't fix it 'This is the right call' VPN industry praises the UKs decisions to leave VPN alone (Image credit: Future) NEW : Leave No Trace A weekly newsletter on digital privacy and online surveillance.

Leave No Trace investigates the companies and governments putting our digital freedom at risk and the people fighting back.

Subscribe now to get every edition delivered to your inbox every Friday, launching this September. Why enforcement is on hold Formally known as the Online Age Verification Amendments ( SB 73 ), the measure was originally
meant to take effect in May. However, the initial rollout was paused after Aylo challenged the law in federal court, prompting Utah to delay
enforcement.

At a hearing on Thursday, the presiding judge stated that "he could not
commit to when he would issue a ruling," as reported by Fox 13 News . What to read next 'We decided not to limit VPNs': UK government U-turns on age-gating privacy tools BBC fights Trumps $10 billion lawsuit over VPN jurisdiction limits 'The death of privacy online' Proton launches interactive map to show age verification laws are spreading fast

Until a decision is reached, the state has agreed to an enforcement truce
with Aylo, leaving the law in a state of legal limbo.

Aylo has been one of the most vocal opponents of age-verification mandates across the US, previously pulling Pornhub out of multiple states rather than comply with laws it claims create a "substantial risk" for user privacy.

TechRadar has reached out to Aylo for comment on the ongoing litigation and will update this article if we hear back. The core issues with Utahs VPN law (Image credit: Getty Images / NurPhoto) Utah's legislation attempts to close
a geographical loophole, but, according to VPN experts, it creates a
technical whack-a-mole in the process.

Under the law, an individual is considered to be accessing a website from
Utah if they are physically located in the state, regardless of whether they are using a virtual private network (VPN) or proxy server to spoof their location. The legislation also prohibits websites hosting "a substantial portion of material harmful to minors" from sharing instructions on how to
use a VPN to bypass age checks.

The fundamental issue is that a VPNs entire purpose is to encrypt internet traffic and mask a user's true physical location. Websites simply have no reliable way to verify if a user connecting from a server in Germany is actually sitting in Salt Lake City.

Privacy groups warn this creates an impossible standard. As the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) explained, the legal risks could force websites "to mandate age verification for every visitor globally."

"This would subject millions of users to invasive identity checks or blocks
to their VPN use, regardless of where they actually live," EFF wrote .

For now, the enforcement freeze means VPN users in Utah are safe from the immediate fallout, but the digital rights community remains on high alert as the court battle continues. Today's best NordVPN and Surfshark deals NordVPN 2 Year $3.49 /mth View +3 months free Surfshark 24 Months $2.49 /mth View We check over 250 million products every day for the best prices



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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/vpn/vpn-privacy-security/utah-wont-force-vpn-rules-o n-major-adult-only-sites-as-the-battle-continues-in-court


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