Utah first state to hold websites liable for users who mask their location with VPNs — law goes into effect, designed to prevent bypassing age checks

Utah's new law, the Online Age Verification Amendments, makes it the first state to hold websites accountable for users who mask their location with VPNs to bypass age checks. The law prohibits websites from sharing instructions on how to use VPNs for this purpose. However, experts argue that the law is flawed as it assumes websites can reliably detect VPN traffic and determine a user's true location, which is technically challenging. The law may disproportionately impact non-technical users who rely on VPNs for legitimate privacy reasons. Other countries like the UK and France are also considering restrictions on VPN use for age verification.