Utah's New Law Targeting VPNs Goes into Effect Next Week
5 hours ago
- #VPN regulation
- #age-verification laws
- #digital privacy
- Utah's SB 73 law targets VPN use to bypass age-verification, effective May 6, 2026, making it the first U.S. state to do so, despite constitutional and technical concerns.
- The law regulates VPNs by holding websites liable for verifying the age of users physically in Utah, even if they use a VPN, and bans sites from providing VPN instructions or means to circumvent geofencing.
- This creates a 'liability trap' that may force sites to ban VPN IPs globally or mandate age verification for all users, undermining digital privacy and raising First Amendment issues.
- Technical feasibility is questionable, as blocking all VPN IPs is impractical; users may shift to non-commercial proxies, leading to collateral damage for those relying on VPNs for security.
- The law sets a dangerous precedent by attacking privacy tools, with potential global ripple effects, as other countries consider similar VPN restrictions, threatening a less private internet.