Latest news with #TexasHouseBill1181
Android Authority
18 hours ago
- Politics
- Android Authority
You may soon be scanning your ID just to access websites, and you've the SCOTUS to blame
Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority TL;DR Texas House Bill 1181 requires age verification for users trying to access websites offering adult content. After lower courts ruled it unconstitutional, the Supreme Court has upheld the bill in a 6–3 ruling. States are now free to force websites to demand a copy of your ID, raising substantial privacy concerns. Being asked to prove who you are is just an everyday part of going online: select all the bicycles if you're not a robot; click this box affirming you're 21 before you browse these bongs for sale. But the vast majority of the time, all that info is offered up on the honor system, without any kind of meaningful checks to do hard verification. If you'd prefer that not change, and don't like the idea of sharing a copy of your ID with all these websites, we've got some bad news for you, and you've the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) to blame. The issue at hand concerns Texas House Bill 1181, which required that websites offering a substantial amount of content harmful to minors verify the identity of visitors to establish they're of a suitable age (via TechCrunch). The Free Speech Coalition sued in response, characterizing the law as unconstitutional restriction on free speech — an argument that had been used successfully in the past. And indeed, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals agreed. Texas pushed back, leading to SCOTUS taking up the case, and in a 6–3 verdict today, the conservative-stacked court has ruled in support of H.B. 1181. The opinions cited in the court's ruling reflect exactly the kind of pearl-clutching use of protecting the interests of minors to justify restricting speech that earlier courts had rejected. But in 2025's carefully crafted judicial landscape, conservative interests finally managed to shove their agenda through. Beyond Texas, roughly half the states in the US either already have similar age-verification laws of their own, or will soon have them going into effect. With this SCOTUS ruling on the books, we can almost guarantee that more states will feel empowered to follow, and in all likelihood we can expect further 'won't someone think of the children' laws to target additional forms of adult content online. So far, when faced with age verification laws, sites like Pornhub have simply blocked access in areas with these rules rather than comply, shutting out millions upon millions of users. But we could rapidly be reaching a tipping point there, and it feels like a future where more sites give in and demand ID scans to access them could be right around the corner. Between the obvious desire for anonymity when consuming adult content, and concerns over potential data breaches with any age-check providers, that does not sound like a great direction the internet is headed. Got a tip? Talk to us! Email our staff at Email our staff at news@ . You can stay anonymous or get credit for the info, it's your choice.
Time of India
19 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Pornhub, XNXX in panic? US Supreme Court ruling lets states crack down on online adult content access
The US Supreme Court has upheld a Texas law mandating age verification for pornography websites, a decision that has stirred concerns within the adult entertainment industry. This 6-3 ruling supports Texas House Bill 1181, which requires users to provide age proof before accessing such sites, potentially impacting access and raising First Amendment and privacy concerns. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Supreme Court Backs Texas Porn Law, Shaking Up the Adult Industry A Major Shift in First Amendment Interpretation Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Justice Clarence Thomas: Smartphones Changed Everything Free Speech Advocates Say Adults Pay the Price Justice Elena Kagan Warns of Privacy Risks in Dissent Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads FAQs The US Supreme Court on Friday upheld a Texas law that requires users to prove their age before viewing pornography sites, as per a report. The ruling has set off alarm bells across the adult entertainment industry , where sites like Pornhub and XNXX now face an uncertain future in states enforcing similar laws, according to a HuffPost 6–3 ruling supports Texas House Bill 1181 , a 2023 law that mandates online pornography platforms verify users' ages by giving age proof, as per the report. Any site that fails to comply faces steep fines: $10,000 per day and up to $250,000 if minors gain access, as per the HuffPost to the report, now eighteen states, including Texas, have laws in effect that require age verification for pornography sites, while six other states have enacted such laws that are not yet in READ: Supreme court limits nationwide injunctions: Implications for Donald Trump's birthright citizenship order The decision marks a shift from previous First Amendment rulings. In the 1990s, the Supreme Court struck down two federal laws that attempted to regulate online pornography, the Communications Decency Act and the Child Online Protection Act, ruling they were unconstitutionally restricting free speech, according to HuffPost Clarence Thomas wrote for the majority, and pointed out that technology has advanced since the court's rulings on those laws enacted in the 1990s, as he said, 'With the rise of the smartphone and instant streaming, many adolescents can now access vast libraries of video content—both benign and obscene—at almost any time and place, with an ease that would have been unimaginable at the time' which the court last ruled on online pornography, quoted wrote that, 'The statute advances the State's important interest in shielding children from sexually explicit content,' adding, 'And, it is appropriately tailored because it permits users to verify their ages through the established methods of providing government-issued identification and sharing transactional data," as quoted in the READ: Congress cut off? White House limits intel sharing after Iran strikes report leak But lawyers for the Free Speech Coalition, which is a consortium of porn sites, argued that the law placed an undue burden on the speech of adults by requiring them to undergo age verification, while acknowledging that states may restrict access to pornography for minors, as reported by Thomas rejected their argument by pointing out that the First Amendment does not protect against age verification. He argued that, '[A]dults have no First Amendment right to avoid age verification, and the statute can readily be understood as an effort to restrict minors' access,' adding, 'Any burden experienced by adults is therefore only incidental to the statute's regulation of activity that is not protected by the First Amendment,' as quoted in the HuffPost Justice Elena Kagan wrote in dissent, saying, 'Under ordinary First Amendment doctrine, this Court should subject H. B. 1181 to strict scrutiny,' adding, 'That is because H. B. 1181 covers speech constitutionally protected for adults; impedes adults' ability to view that speech; and imposes that burden based on the speech's content. Case closed,' as quoted in the pointed out that because the Texas law requires adults to verify their age by providing a driver's license or data 'associated with things like a job or mortgage,' it acts as 'a deterrent' for adults looking to access pornography, according to the HuffPost also said that, 'It is not, contra the majority, like having to flash ID to enter a club,' adding, 'It is turning over information about yourself and your viewing habits—respecting speech many find repulsive—to a website operator, and then to ... who knows? The operator might sell the information; the operator might be hacked or subpoenaed,' as quoted in the if you're in a state with one of these laws. Sites will likely require age proof through ID or other may be blocked from accessing the site in states enforcing these laws.
The Hill
4 days ago
- Politics
- The Hill
Americans have been dangerously misled about porn age-verification laws
If you go to Pornhub in Texas today, you won't see pornography. Instead, porn star Cherie DeVille appears in a video, explaining that the site is no longer accessible in the state. The same is true in 17 other states, including Florida, Indiana and Virginia, with more to soon take effect. This is Pornhub's response to the recent spate of age verification laws — laws which require visitors to pornographic websites to provide proof of age in order to enter the site. The issue is now before the Supreme Court. Texas House Bill 1181, Texas's age verification law, requires websites with more than one-third of their content containing 'material harmful to minors' to verify the age of all users. The Free Speech Coalition, a trade association for the porn industry, is suing Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, arguing that the law violates the First Amendment. The court is expected to rule on Free Speech Coalition v. Paxton in July. After oral arguments, in which the six conservative justices and Justice Elena Kagan seemed receptive toward age verification requirements, the state of Texas appears likely to win. The public has also sided with Texas. Eighty percent of Americans, including 75 percent of Democrats and 88 percent of Republicans, support H.B. 1181. But Americans have been dangerously misled. Age verification laws fail to protect minors and threaten the free speech of all Americans in ways that go far beyond pornography. First, these laws do not reduce minors' exposure to pornography. Social scientists have found that age verification requirements merely spur users to find workarounds, such as foreign VPNs, to access these sites. Today's teenagers, who grew up as digital natives, are likely more adept at these strategies than most adults. But age verification laws are not just ineffective — they are insidious. By requiring users to share personally identifying information, such as government IDs, they could expose users to hacks and leaks. (Remember the Ashley Madison data breach?) The American Civil Liberties Union argues that such requirements are unconstitutional because they impose undue burdens on adults' access to protected speech. This chilling effect is by design. Pornography has long been the canary in the coal mine for other restrictions against free speech. Indeed, some conservatives have acknowledged that age verification laws are a back door to fully criminalizing pornography. The Heritage Foundation's Project 2025, the right-wing blueprint for a conservative presidential administration, has been clear on this goal. It proposes outlawing porn entirely, with those who produce and distribute it imprisoned and registered as sex offenders. If Texas prevails, the U.S. could be pushed further down the slippery slope towards autocracy. To be sure, porn can be harmful to minors. Today's internet offerings are far more extreme than a vintage Playboy. In the U.S., 75 percent of teens have seen pornography before the age of 18. Teenagers who consume it frequently are more likely to believe porn reflects real sex and to imitate potentially dangerous acts like choking. But abstinence doesn't work, online or off. Unless we exile teens from the internet entirely, trying to stop them from ever viewing porn is a losing battle. Instead, we should prepare them. This means teaching porn literacy as part of comprehensive sex education. We already have a model. Emily Rothman, professor and chair of the Boston University Occupational Therapy Department, developed and piloted a porn literacy curriculum for high schoolers that asked students to think critically about how porn is produced and the ways it portrays consent, pleasure, power and bodies. The result? Students were significantly less likely to believe that most porn depicted realistic sex or was a good source of information about sex. Free Speech Coalition v. Paxton will have far-reaching effects on free speech, greasing the wheels for these laws to be extended to other online activities. Just last week, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) signed a bill requiring app stores like Apple's App Store and Google Play to obtain age verification and parental consent from minors before downloading any app. We may not all want to defend porn. But if we care about free speech and digital privacy, we must. Because what starts with porn rarely ends there. Hannah Wohl is a public voices fellow of The OpEd Project and an associate professor of Sociology at the University of California, Santa Barbara.
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Supreme Court expected to rule on Texas porn age verification law
WASHINGTON (KXAN) – The Supreme Court is expected to rule in the coming days on whether Texas can require pornographic websites to verify users' ages, a case that could reshape online speech protections and affect similar laws in more than 20 states. The justices heard arguments in January over Texas House Bill 1181, which requires websites with content 'harmful to minors' to check government-issued IDs before allowing access. The law carries fines up to $10,000 per violation, rising to $250,000 if minors are involved. At the heart of Free Speech Coalition v. Paxton is a fundamental constitutional question: What legal standard should courts use when evaluating laws that restrict adults' access to protected speech in the name of protecting children? The adult entertainment industry argues the law violates the First Amendment by burdening adults' access to legal content and eliminating their anonymity online. Texas counters that age verification is a reasonable way to protect minors, similar to laws preventing alcohol sales to children. The case has already had real-world impact. Pornhub, one of the world's most popular adult sites, blocked Texas users rather than comply with the identification requirements. A federal judge initially blocked the law, but the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals allowed the age verification portion to take effect. The appeals court applied 'rational basis review,' the most lenient constitutional standard, reasoning that laws protecting children need only be reasonable. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton defended the law as protecting children. 'We are not going to lose,' Paxton told reporters in January. 'We are going to have the right to enforce this.' The Free Speech Coalition, a trade association for the adult industry, appealed to the Supreme Court, arguing that courts should apply 'strict scrutiny' — the most demanding standard — because the law restricts content-based speech. The group points to the court's 2004 decision in Ashcroft v. ACLU, where justices struck down a federal law requiring age verification for websites with content 'harmful to children.' The decision will affect similar age verification laws enacted in states including Louisiana, Utah, Virginia and Arkansas. By one count, 23 states passed such measures in 2023 and 2024. Civil liberties groups warn the laws expose adults to privacy risks and could set precedent for broader internet restrictions. Child safety advocates support the measures as necessary protections in the digital age. The Court will be issuing opinions throughout the month of June, before their summer recess. The next term for the Supreme Court starts in October. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
