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PornHub blocks users in Utah, cites state’s age verification law

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Re: PornHub blocks users in Utah, cites state’s age verification law

#921

Post by E39M5S62 »

notjoemama wrote: post #918

Just mentioning, this post at the time of my comment, has 856 comments. That's roughly 3 times the next highest post at this moment, and at least 8 times the average, and I'm being generous. In short, hacker news users have quite a bit to say about porn on the internet, while another "popular" post about Google's DeepMind CEO's belief about impending general artificial intelligence remains at 35 comments. lol Stay cl…

What's the purpose of this comment, other than as an attempt to shame people for discussing a normal topic?

Re: PornHub blocks users in Utah, cites state’s age verification law

#922

Post by DontchaKnowit »

jofer wrote: post #917
DontchaKnowit wrote: post #895

Earlier quoted context omitted.

here is what the bill says : "'Adult cabaret performance' means a performance in a location other than an adult cabaret that features topless dancers, go-go dancers, exotic dancers, strippers, male or female impersonators who provide entertainment that appeals to a prurient interest, or similar entertainers, regardless of whether or not performed for consideration (1) It is an offense for a person to engage in an adu…

The issue is that "purient interests" and "performance" is really not something that's well defined. Walking down the street whistling a classic rock tune like "fat bottom girls"? Arguably fits that description. Also, a "performance" can simply be appearing in public without directly performing anything. This sort of vage language in laws gives a lot of leeway for very selective enforcement.

Okay so your issue is with the language of the law, not the intent.

Re: PornHub blocks users in Utah, cites state’s age verification law

#923

Post by cmh89 »

Georgelemental wrote: post #657
laserlight wrote: post #643

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A struggling person finding relief in porn doesn't mean that porn is addictive.

The porn did not "relieve" anything, it was the source of the problem.

That's like saying 'sleeping too much is the source of depression'. Viewing too much porn is a result of a different problem. Happy and healthy people aren't accidentally becoming addicted to porn.

Re: PornHub blocks users in Utah, cites state’s age verification law

#924

Post by gnicholas »

jasmer wrote: post #908
gnicholas wrote: post #716

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> If it’s not a big deal then verifying your age shouldn’t phase you anymore than verifying your age to buy alcohol. If the cashier asks for your ID when you buy a six-pack, that's completely ephemeral, with no record created. If they swipe your ID (I think this happens sometimes), that creates a record, but it's not clear if it stores personal info or just verifies that it's a valid ID with appropriate birthdate. If…

"there's no way to do so ephemerally, " - there are ways people can be issued anonymous tokens, 3rd party verifications, regs against recording the data with strong regulatory authority. Frankly, it's not even that hard you could come up with 3 'good ways' just by thinking about it a tiny bit, that would be less intrusive than showing your ID at a bar. Trade this for getting the drinking age lowered to 18 and we win.

I didn’t claim that it’s impossible to imagine ways that this could be done. I was pointing out that no such methods are actually in common use, which means that when people think about validating their age online, they are concerned about their privacy.

Re: PornHub blocks users in Utah, cites state’s age verification law

#925

Post by cmh89 »

rootusrootus wrote: post #880
AlecSchueler wrote: post #626

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'd love to stop believing in it but it's destroyed a large part of my life. The issue with defining it as an addiction is more of a question of separating from other compulsive issues than not recognising the compulsive issues of the thing itself. Yes, I understand there's a difference between compulsion and addiction but I'd expect the users of Hacker News to understand enough about how the dopamine system works to…

> I'd love to stop believing in it but it's destroyed a large part of my life. With all due respect, wouldn't it be more accurate to say that you destroyed a large part of your life? It seems like you're blaming porn, as if everyone who is exposed to it becomes addicted. Is it like heroin? Or is it more like alcohol, where many people consume it without becoming addicted, but a few people ruin their lives over it?

>Is it like heroin? Or is it more like alcohol, where many people consume it without becoming addicted, but a few people ruin their lives over it?

It's more like a TV addiction or a video game addiction where the over consumption is a coping mechanism for other things that are wrong in your life.

Hence 'porn addiction' not really existing.

Re: PornHub blocks users in Utah, cites state’s age verification law

#926

Post by lubujackson »

brightball wrote: post #537
wakannai wrote: post #328

Multiple issues with this. It starts off with arbitrary definitions of what pornography is ( https://le.utah.gov/~2023/bills/static/SB0287.html ): "nipple of the female breast" You can suck on it when you are a baby, but god forbid you ever take a look at it again before you are married. What's wrong with these people? Even public nudity laws differ from city to city (e.g. in California), so clearly, people aren't al…

There’s such a strange dichotomy in these conversations. 1. Porn shouldn’t be available to kids and it’s on the vendors legally to ensure that. 2. Porn should be unrestricted, it’s up to parents to do something about it. What I can’t understand is if the people in camp 2 are so unashamed of the porn advocacy then why is age verification such a big deal? If it’s not a big deal then verifying your age shouldn’t phase y…

The ol' "if you have nothing to hide" argument was flawed a century ago and it isn't getting any less wrong. Recognize that "age verification" is 100% about taking control out of individual hands and into the government's.

The only reason we do this with alcohol is because of health and safety risks. Please tell me how boobies threaten the fabric of society?

Re: PornHub blocks users in Utah, cites state’s age verification law

#927

Post by QuarterReptile »

friend_and_foe wrote: post #900
WeylandYutani wrote: post #860

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Persecuted because Mormons refused to respect American laws. Yes if someone starts a cult that does illegal things they don't get to claim religious freedom or cry about persecution.

What laws would those be exactly?

polygamy?

Take a moment to think about history of US statehood. The Mormons, chased off Eastern settlements for their polygamy, settled most of the mountain West, declared governance, then watched big mining operations all around them get cut off from their territory and turned into full-fledged states, while they were not admitted to the union for decades.

It was a time of shared culture that is unrecognizable from where we stand today, and they absolutely didn't want to give statehood to polygamists...

Re: PornHub blocks users in Utah, cites state’s age verification law

#928

Post by 13of40 »

ta988 wrote: post #557
13of40 wrote: post #355

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not sure if it's everywhere yet, but where I live, QFC and Fred Meyer have started scanning IDs for every alcohol purchase, which is a bit disturbing because that block of data on the back of your ID has a lot more than your birthday on it. I have a passport card that doesn't scan but is still valid ID, but I wonder if there's any legal issue with printing your own barcode that says "mind your own business" or someth…

Nobody will check. As long as their API replies {valid: true}

Yeah, but at least they won't be able to sell a list of your habits to your health insurance company.

Re: PornHub blocks users in Utah, cites state’s age verification law

#929

Post by QuarterReptile »

Longlius wrote: post #390
theclansman wrote: post #182

Just the fact that pornography is being taken seriously as something that's dangerous for minors is a good thing really.

I think it's good, but I really wish the solution was, "We need parents to take a more active role in their children's lives and supervise their internet usage" and not, "Lockdown and de-anonymize the web."

On the other hand, if you as a legislator perceive a social evil, and your options are to pass a law or to get all the parents to take away their kids' phones and switch back to desktop computers (used only in a common area), which do you pick?

Re: PornHub blocks users in Utah, cites state’s age verification law

#930

Post by jofer »

DontchaKnowit wrote: post #922
jofer wrote: post #917

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The issue is that "purient interests" and "performance" is really not something that's well defined. Walking down the street whistling a classic rock tune like "fat bottom girls"? Arguably fits that description. Also, a "performance" can simply be appearing in public without directly performing anything. This sort of vage language in laws gives a lot of leeway for very selective enforcement.

Okay so your issue is with the language of the law, not the intent.

I can't read minds, so it's impossible to know intent of lawmakers.

It's the language of any law that should be evaluated. The language of these is problematic.

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