Privacy is a joke: More US states push to require govt-issued ID for watching online porn

Remember the memes and more importantly, the furore when the Government of India, in its infinite wisdom tried to ban porn in the country? Well, that turned out pretty well didn’t it? The United States of America is going through a similar situation, with more and more states pushing to require government issues IDs for watching online porn. **Also read: A game of whack-a-mole: Why banning porn sites in India does not work** Louisiana became the first state to demand ID from its citizens in order to view internet pornography last month. Since then, seven other states have hurried to imitate Louisiana’s example.   Following Louisiana’s steps A tracker from the Free Speech Coalition shows that similar legislation have been proposed in Florida, Kansas, South Dakota, and West Virginia, and that bills in Arkansas, Mississippi, and Virginia appear to be the closest to becoming law.   Lawmakers in seven US states have introduced “virtually identical” bills to require age verification on porn sites. Some of these laws, if enacted, might be put into action right away, while others, in places like Florida and Mississippi, stipulate that they wouldn’t go into effect until July.   **Also read: Submit govt-issued ID to watch Porn: Louisiana law to combat child pornography has flaws** Republican State Senator of Arkansas, Tyler Dees stated, “My aim is that we safeguard children and their innocence in the state of Arkansas and then send a message across the country that we need something similar put into federal legislation as well.” Florida, Mississippi, and Virginia are among the other states that are debating copyright legislation. The rule in Louisiana which went into force this year mandates that websites with 33.3 per cent or more pornographic content must check the user’s age using official identification. The futility of such a law One solution to this so-called “public health crisis”—a term used by states like Arkansas and South Dakota to characterise the unfavourable effects of so much readily accessible online pornography—is age verification. Although there has been minimal study on the impact of pornography on teens, Common Sense Media advised against states utilising that classification. The government-issued IDs might become involved in ad-targeting systems or fall into the wrong hands, which would be a privacy nightmare if the age verification porn laws are implemented.   **Also read: Instagram introduces new AI-based tool to verify age of users in India. Here's how it will work** According to Louisiana law, “once access to the data has been authorised, the mandatory age verification shall not keep any identifying information of the individual.” The question of whether pornographic websites and other partners can adhere to the guideline flawlessly and accurately is another. Parents who allege their children visited adult websites in violation of the law may file legal actions against the websites. As a result, Pornhub started requesting state residents to provide ID in January. Furthermore, it’s unlikely that the age verification requirement will even succeed in keeping children from accessing online porn. A VPN or the use of an adult’s ID might allow a minor to get around the government’s ID verification process. Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News , India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and  Instagram.