Wisconsin governor says 'no' to age checks for porn

Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers has vetoed legislation that would have mandated age verification for pornographic websites, according to a report from 404 Media. In his formal letter to assembly members last week, Evers characterized the bill as creating "an intrusive burden on adults who are trying to access constitutionally protected materials."

The proposed legislation, Assembly Bill 105 (AB 105), would have required websites containing more than one-third adult content deemed harmful to minors to implement "reasonable" age verification measures. These measures would likely have included requiring users to present government-issued identification documents. The Wisconsin bill follows a broader trend, with over two dozen states—including Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Missouri, Texas, and Virginia—already enacting similar age verification requirements for adult content websites. In response to such legislation, major platforms like Pornhub have implemented geographic blocking in affected jurisdictions.

The Wisconsin American Civil Liberties Union voiced opposition to AB-105 during testimony last month, raising concerns about privacy, surveillance, and First Amendment implications. Governor Evers appears to have aligned with these concerns in his veto decision. "I am vetoing this bill in its entirety because I object to this bill's intrusion into the personal privacy of Wisconsin residents," Evers stated in his letter. He further expressed apprehension about "data security and the potential for misuse of personally identifiable information" that would be collected through mandatory age verification processes.

Notably, earlier versions of the Wisconsin legislation included provisions to ban virtual private networks (VPNs), which users commonly employ to circumvent geographic restrictions and age verification systems. While lawmakers removed this provision in February, VPN regulation continues to gain attention among policymakers worldwide.

Despite rejecting the current bill, Governor Evers indicated openness to alternative age verification approaches. He specifically mentioned potential support for "device-based" verification methods that would authenticate user age through smartphones or computers rather than requiring direct submission of personal identification documents.