In a landmark move, Utah recently passed SB73, a bill aimed at holding websites liable for enforcing age verification. But what makes this bill unique—and highly controversial—is its specific targeting of VPN users.
What is Utah SB73?
SB73 requires adult-oriented websites to verify the age of their users using government ID or third-party verification services. If a minor accesses restricted content, the website can be held liable for damages.
The VPN "Loophole" Clause
What caught the attention of privacy advocates is the bill's treatment of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs). The legislation explicitly addresses users who use VPNs or proxies to change their IP address location to bypass the Utah block.
If a website's geoblocking is circumvented by a user spoofing their IP, the site is still held liable unless they can prove they took "reasonable" measures to block VPN traffic.
How This Impacts Privacy
By forcing websites to actively identify and block VPN IP addresses, SB73 inadvertently pushes for a less private internet. Websites must now employ commercial IP intelligence databases to detect if a visitor's IP belongs to a datacenter or VPN provider.
Check if your IP is flagged as a datacenter using our VPN Leak Test.