California Republicans, Democrats Team Up to Advance Age Verification for Porn

California Republicans, Democrats Team Up to Advance Age Verification for Porn

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Both Republicans and Democrats in the California Assembly’s Privacy and Consumer Protection Committee voted last week to move forward a version of the age verification bills being sponsored around the country by anti-porn religious conservative activists.

As the Sacramento Bee explained on Tuesday, members of both parties “sided with conservative religious organizations against LGBTQ, reproductive health and civil liberty advocacy groups and voted unanimously in favor of AB 3080, a bill by Assemblyman Juan Alanis (R-Modesto) that would require pornographic websites ‘to take reasonable steps to ensure’ that only adults are looking at them.”

The state capital’s paper of record also noted that AB 3080 is backed by Exodus Cry, the California Catholic Conference, California Family Council, Concerned Women for America, Family Policy Alliance, the Pacific Justice Institute Center for Public Policy and other conservative groups, both religious and secular.

As XBIZ reported, Free Speech Coalition (FSC) Executive Director Alison Boden testified last week against AB 3080, describing it as “a terribly flawed bill that never should have advanced out of committee, especially not one focused on consumer privacy.”

FSC was also mentioned by the Sacramento Bee as one of the groups urging California legislators to reject the bill, a roster which also includes Advocates for Youth, Center for LGBTQ Economic Advancement and Research, Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), GLSEN, National Abortion Federation, Netchoice and Reproaction.

“Age verification laws don’t just impact young people,” EFF warned through a statement. “It’s necessary to confirm the ages of all website visitors. It is a significant privacy violation to require all people to submit either their official government-issued identification credentials, or to delve into their transactional history — including ‘bank account information’ — to attempt to determine their age, particularly if that person is an adult for whom there are no restrictions to view such material.”

If AB 3080 becomes law, the Sacramento Bee’s Andrew Sheeler wrote, California “would join a host of red states, including Texas, in requiring online age verification for porn. When Texas passed its version of the law, online porn giant Pornhub announced that it would no longer accept web traffic from that state. Could that happen in California next?”

Copyright © 2025 Adnet Media. All Rights Reserved. XBIZ is a trademark of Adnet Media.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited.

More News

MyMember.site Debuts Digital Rights Management Feature

MyMember.site has introduced a Digital Rights Management (DRM) feature to its platform.

Sharesome Launches Marketing Solution for Creators

Adult social media platform Sharesome has introduced an advertising tool for creators.

Wyoming Governor Signs Age Verification Law

Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon signed the state's new age verification bill into law yesterday.

2025 XMAs Awards Show Now Streaming

The 2025 XMAs awards ceremony, presented by Fansly and held Jan. 19 at the historic Hollywood Palladium, is now available for streaming on the XMA website.

Florida Bill Would Auto-Filter Porn for All Users, Not Just Minors

Florida lawmakers have introduced legislation to require manufacturers to equip tablets and smartphones with a filter that would prevent all users from accessing material deemed harmful to minors, to be automatically enabled on devices activated in that state.

TeamSkeet, MYLF Launch New Website 'Pervz'

Sister studios TeamSkeet and MYLF have launched a new website, Pervz.com.

AEBN Publishes Popular Searches for January, February

AEBN has announced the top search terms for January and February from its straight and gay theaters in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

Porn Fidelity Signs Exclusive Partnership Deal With NMG Management

Adult studio Porn Fidelity has signed an exclusive partnership deal with brand management firm NMG Management.

Nigeria to Ban All Porn Websites, Penalize Non-Compliant ISPs

Nigeria's House of Representatives on Tuesday directed its telecom regulator, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), to immediately block all porn websites across the country and to enforce that ban.

FSC Launches Action Modal for Adult Sites to Fight AV Laws

Free Speech Coalition (FSC) has launched its new action modal web script for adult websites to help combat state age verification legislation.

Show More