Latest news with #TexasLaw
Wall Street Journal
9 hours ago
- Politics
- Wall Street Journal
Supreme Court Upholds Texas Age Verification Law for Online Porn Content
The Supreme Court said a Texas law requiring certain websites hosting sexual content to verify their viewers' ages is constitutional. In a 6-3 decision, the court upheld the Texas law, one of at least 21 that have passed on the state level in recent years requiring age verification for users seeking to access pornographic content online.
TechCrunch
10 hours ago
- Politics
- TechCrunch
SCOTUS porn ruling opens door to sweeping internet age verification
The United States Supreme Court ruled Friday to uphold a Texas law requiring websites with 'sexual material harmful to minors' to verify the ages of all visitors. The Free Speech Coalition (FSC), a trade association for the adult industry, had brought the lawsuit against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton challenging the state's age verification law. Age verification in this context does not mean mindlessly clicking a box to declare that you are an adult – it means uploading government ID documents or using third-party verification platforms to prove your age. This decision has far-reaching ramifications for internet privacy. Eighteen states have already enacted laws requiring age verification to access such websites, while six additional states have passed legislation that has not yet taken effect. Under the Texas law that the FSC challenged, a pornographic website is defined as having at least one-third of its content deemed 'harmful to minors.' Internet privacy advocates have long criticized these age checks for their potential to compromise users' digital security, even when verification companies vow not to retain identifying information. In some cases, these age checks are conducted via government tools, and it's not abnormal for hackers to breach government databases. At a time when LGBTQ rights are under attack in the U.S., activists have protested that laws like this could be used to classify non-pornographic information about the LGBTQ community, as well as basic sex education, to be 'sexual material harmful to minors.' These concerns appear well-founded, given that President Trump's administration has removed references to civil rights movements and LGBTQ history from some government websites. The original Texas age-verification law, HB 1181, was passed around the same time the state imposed other legal restrictions on the LGBTQ community, including limits on public drag shows and bans on gender-affirming care for minors. The drag show law was later deemed unconstitutional for violating the First Amendment.
New York Times
11 hours ago
- Politics
- New York Times
Supreme Court Upholds Texas Law Limiting Access to Pornography
The Supreme Court on Friday rejected a challenge to a Texas law that seeks to limit minors' access to pornography on the internet, ruling that it does not violate the First Amendment to require people to verify their age through measures like the submission of government-issued IDs. The vote was 6 to 3, with the court's three liberal members in dissent. The Texas law applies to any commercial website 'more than one-third of which is sexual material harmful to minors.' It requires such sites to use one of several methods to verify that users are 18 or older. It does not allow companies to retain the information their users submit. But the challengers said adults would be wary of supplying personal information for fear of identity theft, tracking and extortion. More than 20 other states have enacted similar laws. A trade group representing companies that produce sexual materials, along with an adult performer, challenged the Texas law, saying that it violated the First Amendment right of adults. Judge David Alan Ezra of the Federal District Court in Austin blocked the law, saying it would have a chilling effect on speech protected by the First Amendment. By verifying information through government identification, the law allows the government 'to peer into the most intimate and personal aspects of people's lives,' wrote Judge Ezra, who was appointed by President Ronald Reagan. 'It runs the risk that the state can monitor when an adult views sexually explicit materials and what kind of websites they visit,' he continued. 'In effect, the law risks forcing individuals to divulge specific details of their sexuality to the state government to gain access to certain speech.' Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Texas will require permits for self-driving cars starting in September
Starting September 1, fully autonomous cars will require a permit to operate in Texas. This new restriction comes after the state's governor, Greg Abbott, signed into law the SB 2807 bill that requires authorization from the state's Department of Motor Vehicles for self-driving cars on public streets without human interaction. The signing of the new law coincides with Tesla's launch of its robotaxi service in Austin today where invited guests got to ride in fully autonomous Model Ys. While the law doesn't go into effect until a few months later, Tesla's robotaxi launch could have skirted this new regulation since all rides are accompanied by a human "safety monitor" in the front passenger seat. In the coming months, Texas' new law may prove to be more than just a headache for Tesla. Besides the permits, the upcoming regulation allows state authorities the ability to revoke permits and requires companies to provide methods of dealing with self-driving cars in emergency situations to police and first responders. While this could become a serious hurdle for Tesla, it's also likely to affect Waymo, since it currently operates an autonomous ride-hailing service in Austin.
South China Morning Post
5 days ago
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Texas governor signs bill banning Chinese citizens from buying property in the state
A bill to restrict property ownership in Texas by Chinese citizens became law, more than two years after it was first introduced, setting up what could be a prolonged legal and political battle as critics plan to file a suit challenging its constitutionality. Advertisement Governor Greg Abbott, a Republican, announced on Saturday that he had signed the bill, which also targets nationals from Iran North Korea and Russia , into law. Abbott expressed support for the bill in February, writing on social media that the legislation 'would prohibit hostile foreign entities from purchasing land in Texas, and that 'we must get this to my desk this session'. The bill restricts individuals, companies, and government entities from China and the other named countries from purchasing property in the state, exempting US green card holders and citizens. It takes effect on September 1. The initiative allows those who hold valid US visas to purchase property, but only if the property is used as a primary residence. That means nationals from the four countries would not be able to purchase investment properties. Texas Governor Greg Abbott. Photo: The Dallas Morning News/TNS
