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Porn Passport: Newly Passed Virginia Bill Dubbed 'Disaster To Online Privacy'

Those looking to watch porn in Virginia will soon need to provide proof of age to do so.

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin

Photo Credit: Glenn Youngkin Facebook

A bill nicknamed the "Porn Passport" recently passed by Gov. Glenn Youngkin requires pornographic websites require visitors submit copies of their IDs proving 18 years or older.

Websites that fail to do so could face a lawsuit.

The bill was proposed by William R. Stanley earlier this year, and similar ones have been passed in Utah and Virginia.

The Free Speech Coalition called the new move a "disaster" for privacy online.

For starters, the proof of ID concept won't stop minors from accessing the explicit material, the coalition said.

"It is extremely simple to use a Virtual Private Network (VPN) to make it appear as though a user is located elsewhere, thereby evading age checks," the FSC said. "In fact, a recent study of middle schoolers (youth aged 11-14) found that 41% of them use a VPN to browse the internet."

Another report found that 58 percent of teens have accidentally seen adult content on social media.

"Because this bill only applies to websites where more than one third of the content meets the definition of material harmful to minors, it will do nothing to protect those young people," the FSC says.

Love it or hate it, the law takes effect on July 1.

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