LOS ANGELES—The state of Utah has been in the forefront of the legislative anti-porn movement for several years. In 2016, Utah became one of the first states to officially declare porn a “public health crisis.” And earlier this year, the state passed a law requiring all porn sites to include a “health warning” label at the start of every online video.
But the state is not done yet, apparently. According to a report by The Salt Lake Tribune newspaper, Republican state House Rep Susan Pulsipher is pushing new legislation that would require all smartphones and tablet computers sold in the state to automatically block porn sites.
“Right now, those devices come with the filters turned off, and then the parent has to figure out how to turn them on. In many cases, they don’t quite know how to do it,” Pulsipher said as quoted by the Tribune. “That can be frustrating, so we’re saying let’s have those devices come with the filter turned on.”
Pulsipher’s bill, HB72, would slap device-makers with a $2,500 fine for each phone sold without anti-porn filters turned on by default. That financial penalty is similar to the fine that would be paid by porn sites who fail to include the “health warning,” under that previous legislation.
The Tribune noted that the automatic porn block proposal originated with anti-LGBTQ crusader Chris Sevier, who once protested against laws permitting same sex marriage by filing a lawsuit demanding that he be allowed to legally marry his laptop computer.
Sevier has also advocated for legislation in Utah that would penalize social media sites for supposedly suppressing posts due to “political or religious reasons.” Such a law would come into direct conflict with Section 230 of the 1996 Communications Decency Act, which gives sites the right to moderate user content as they see fit.
Pulsipher told The Tribune that she had “talked” to Sevier about the new, porn-block legislation, but would not confirm that that she had worked with the outspoken activist to craft the bill.
Under Pulsipher’s proposed law, smartphone purchasers would be able to switch off the porn filters if they choose to.
“We’re trying to keep minors safe from pornography. We restrict minors’ access to tobacco. It’s been so easy for them to get pornography,” Pulsipher told the paper. “We’re just trying to make it less easy for them to access pornography and other online content that may be harmful.”
Photo by Utah House of Representatives
