The Wisconsin State Assembly has given the green light to bill S.B. 130 / A.B. 105, which establishes the obligation to verify users' age to access certain websites and prohibits the use of VPNs on those pages for anyone located in Wisconsin. The text will be submitted for a vote in the State Senate tomorrow, amid criticism from digital rights advocacy organizations.
EFF Reactions and Warnings
The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) has sent a letter to the entire Wisconsin Legislature requesting the rejection of the proposal. In the letter, the entity warns about the scope of the measure and its possible consequences for privacy and freedom of expression.
"This bill requires an invasive age verification for websites that host content that legislators may consider 'sexual' and requires those sites to block any user who connects via a Virtual Private Network (VPN)" - Electronic Frontier Foundation
According to the EFF, websites cannot reliably determine if a VPN user is in Wisconsin, another state, or another country. The organization maintains that imposing these restrictions can lead to censorship and mass collection of personal data.
Obligations for Websites and Privacy Risks
The bill obliges platforms to collect sensitive user information, including government identifications, financial data, and biometric identifiers, as a requirement to access legal content. The definition of "harmful material to minors" is expanded in the text, encompassing not only explicit material, but also descriptions of sex or images of human anatomy.
The EFF warns that the combination of these measures could lead to data leaks, constitutional problems, and excessive censorship. In November, the organization had already published an article on its blog criticizing the legislative initiative and questioning lawmakers' technical understanding of how VPNs work.
"Our privacy matters. VPNs matter. And politicians who can't tell the difference between a security tool and a 'loophole' shouldn't be writing internet law" - Electronic Frontier Foundation
The vote in the Wisconsin State Senate is expected to be decisive for the future of digital regulation in that state. The debate remains open between those who defend the protection of minors and those who warn about the risks to privacy and freedom on the web.