SALT LAKE CITY—Today, the U.S. District Court for the District of Utah will hear NetChoice’s request to halt the state’s new law, SB 194, that restricts parents from making decisions for their own families and conditions the right to speak freely and receive information online on Utahns’ willingness to hand over their sensitive, personal data.
The hearing begins at 9:30 AM Mountain Time. There will not be a livestream available.
“Utah families don’t need government censorship that violates their rights, privacy and security; they need real solutions that are effective and legal. SB 194 fails all Utahns by violating their constitutional rights, undermining their businesses, weakening their data security and stripping away their parental rights,” said Chris Marchese, Director of the NetChoice Litigation Center. “We are optimistic the Court will halt Utah’s unconstitutional law while our case moves through the legal system.”
Marchese continued: “Parents—not politicians—should be in charge of their families, online and offline.”
Despite the good intentions of Utah policymakers, SB 194 violates constitutional protections. NetChoice has seen similar proposals blocked by different courts in four other states so far, including California, Arkansas, Ohio and Mississippi, where in each ruling, the judges have echoed NetChoice’s concerns about the various consequences of gating off the internet in the manner SB 194 requires.
Additionally, new research shows that age verification laws like Utah’s SB 194 will worsen crimes like child identity theft because such laws require massive data collection on both children and adults, creating stores of data that cybercriminals will target.
Utahns do not have to choose between their constitutional rights, parental rights, cybersecurity, kids’ safety or economic engine. NetChoice hopes to halt this law in court and work with the legislature on better, constitutional efforts for online safety.
Read NetChoice’s request for a preliminary injunction here. Learn more about our case, NetChoice v. Reyes, here.
Please email Krista Chavez at press@netchoice.org with inquiries.