New Utah Law Takes Effect, Targets VPN Users for Age Verification
Utah will become the first Estados Unidos state to legally restrict the use of virtual private networks (VPNs) to bypass mandatory age checks. The law goes into effect next Wednesday, May 6, 2026, and sets a controversial precedent in government control over digital privacy tools. Projeto of Lei of Senado 73 (SB 73), signed by Governor Spencer Cox on March 19, creates legal responsibilities for platforms and prohibits guidance on how to circumvent access controls.
Enquanto advocates have successfully removed similar provisions in states like Wisconsin due to constitutional concerns, Utah moves forward with regulation that experts warn could significantly undermine privacy rights. The move reflects a global pattern: Lawmakers face increased use of VPNs when they impose strict restrictions and, instead of reconsidering the strategy, decide to attack the privacy technology itself.
What the law establishes
Senado Bill 73 consists primarily of provisions for a 2% tax on revenues from online adult content, which takes effect in October. Contudo, the section that generates the most concern among digital rights advocates, specifically addresses access to VPNs. The regulations amend Seção 78B-3-1002 of the Utah bylaws in two main ways.
The first establishes that individuals accessing a website are physically located in Utah regardless of whether they use a VPN, proxy server or other means to disguise their geographic location. Essa determination forces platforms to verify the actual physical location of users. The second prohibits commercial entities that host “a substantial portion of material harmful to minors” from facilitating or encouraging the use of VPN to bypass age checks. Inclui prohibits providing instructions on how to use VPN or means of bypassing geofencing.
Consequências technical and legal
Especialistas point out that the law creates a “liability trap” that is practically impossible to comply with technically. Bloquear all known IP addresses of VPNs and proxies represents an insane technical challenge that no company will be able to completely overcome. Provedores VPN constantly adds new IP addresses and there is no comprehensive block list. Fulfilling the requirements of Utah would require technical feats that would be impossible to perform.
If a website cannot reliably detect a VPN user’s real location and the law requires it to do so for all users on Utah, the legal risk could lead platforms to ban all known VPN IPs or require age verification for all visitors globally. Isso would subject millions of users to invasive identity checks or VPN blocking, regardless of where they actually reside. The responsibility lies with companies, not individual users.
- Bloqueio of known VPN IPs
- Age Verification Exigência for Global Visitors
- Risco Banned from Multiple Privacy Platforms
- Exclusão of journalists, activists and victims of abuse
- Custos Significant Operations for Compliance
Primeira Emenda and non-disclosure policy
Diferentemente from the discarded Wisconsin proposal, SB 73 does not explicitly prohibit VPN use. Instead, it operates under a “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy. Websites would likely have an obligation to request proof of age only if they discovered that a user is physically on Utah and using a VPN. If a site does not know that a user is on Utah, its obligation to police the use of VPNs remains unclear.
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Contudo, this approach raises serious questions about Primeira Emenda. The law prevents platforms from providing users with basic and truthful information about a legal privacy tool. Defensores argue that prohibiting the sharing of VPN information violates constitutional rights to free speech. Embora although SB 73 is not as extreme as previous versions, it remains a dangerous precedent.
Internet bypasses censorship
Estudiosos of technology assert with certainty that the internet was built to circumvent censorship and always will. If Se Utah manages to make it difficult for commercial VPN providers to access it, motivated users will quickly migrate to non-commercial proxies, private tunnels via cloud services like AWS, or residential proxies that are virtually indistinguishable from standard home traffic. Essas alternative solutions will emerge within hours of the law coming into force.
Enquanto This, collateral damage will fall on companies, journalists, researchers and abuse victims who rely on commercial VPNs for essential data security. The measures won’t stop tech-savvy teenagers, but they will certainly affect the privacy of ordinary Utah residents who simply want to keep their data away from data brokers or bad actors.
Global worrying Precedente
Instituto Cato questions legislative logic: when an internet policy can be circumvented by relatively common technology that offers significant privacy and security benefits, perhaps the problem is the policy itself. Age verification Regimes causes substantial harm to freedom of expression and privacy online. Atacar VPNs to prevent fraud intensifies this harmful approach.
Utah is setting a precedent that prioritizes government control over the fundamental architecture of a private and secure internet. Essa trend is not limited to the US. Órgãos regulators in countries outside América of Norte monitor restrictions on VPNs. Comissária to Reino Unido’s Crianças called VPNs a “loophole that needs to be closed.” Ministro Delegado from França to Inteligência Artificial has stated that VPNs are “at the top of his list” following the ban on social media for under-15s.
Utah’s law marks entry into uncharted territory for data protection. Legisladores unable to distinguish between legitimate security tool and “exploited loophole” now define rules for one of the most complex infrastructures on the planet. The result will not be a safer internet, but a progressively less private one.
