Contentious age‑verification bill advances after amendments; privacy and First Amendment concerns remain

Summary

Senate Bill 201, which would require age‑verification measures for websites that make pornographic material available to minors, drew heavily contested testimony on privacy, free speech and implementation. The committee adopted technical amendments and moved the bill to the Committee of the Whole by a recorded vote.

Senate Bill 201, a measure to require online age‑verification for platforms that make pornographic material available to minors, produced some of the meeting’s most contested testimony on privacy, free‑speech and enforcement.

Sponsors described the measure as a narrowly tailored, privacy‑preserving way to keep minors from accessing material deemed harmful under existing Colorado law. They said the bill allows privately certified age‑verification solutions that do not disclose user identity and that it contains audits and deletion requirements to minimize retained personal data.

Opponents — including digital‑rights groups, free‑speech advocates, adult‑industry representatives, civil‑liberties organizations and state technology officials — countered that the bill risks: exposing sensitive personal information, creating new centralized databases that would be attractive targets for…

Contentious age‑verification bill advances after amendments; privacy and First Amendment concerns remain

Summary

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