The First US Law Targeting VPN Use Takes Effect September 3: Here’s What Happens
After months of legal wrangling, Utah's Senate Bill 73, the first US law to explicitly target VPN use in the context of age verification, takes effect on September 3, 2026. Originally scheduled for May, the law was paused by a court injunction following a challenge from Aylo, the parent company of Pornhub.Utah's Senate Bill 73 (SB 73) makes adult websites legally liable if a user in Utah bypasses age-verification requirements using a virtual private network (VPN).What the Law DoesDeemed Location: Anyone physically located in Utah is legally considered a Utah user, even if they use a VPN or proxy to mask their true IP address.Website Liability: Adult platforms face fines and civil penalties if a minor in Utah accesses restricted content, regardless of whether the site attempted an IP check.Information Ban: Covered websites are prohibited from providing users with instructions or information on how to use VPNs to bypass verification gates.Additional Taxes: Imposes a 2% excise tax on online adult video platforms to help fund enforcement.Impact on VPN UsersLegality: SB 73 does not ban VPNs, and regular, everyday VPN usage (such as remote work, banking, or public Wi-Fi security) remains completely legal.Enforcement Status: Following a legal challenge by Pornhub parent company Aylo, the state agreed to pause enforcement of the VPN-specific provisions until September 3, 2026.Website Compliance: Because websites cannot reliably detect a masked location, the law effectively pressures platforms to either block all known VPN traffic or require global identity-verification checks. On the Reddit discussion thread, opinions are mixed on how effectively platforms can technically enforce these mandates without breaking general web traffic.
