MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Free Speech Coalition (FSC) has issued a statement reporting an upsurge in Alabamians calling for a repeal of the state’s controversial age verification law.
The FSC statement follows:
Since the October 1st implementation of Alabama’s new age-verification mandate, thousands of Alabamians have reached out to Gov. Kay Ivey and other legislators, demanding they repeal the law. According to data from Free Speech Coalition’s Defend Online Privacy portal, Alabamians have sent over 5,000 messages to their state officials since the law took effect.
HB164 mandates age-verification for all visitors, the display of a pseudoscientific “public health warning” and a 10% tax on the gross revenue of any company that operates an adult website. Additionally, adult performers who appear in commercially-distributed content must have their model releases signed by a notary.
“Alabamians are right to be outraged,” says Alison Boden, Executive Director of Free Speech Coalition. “They, like all Americans, should be able to access the internet without sacrificing their privacy. We share their anger and hope that Alabama’s elected officials will listen to their constituents and repeal HB164.”
DefendOnlinePrivacy.com is FSC’s 50-state portal that connects voters affected by age-verification laws with their legislators. Platforms that block a state in response to an age-verification law can reroute their traffic to the portal to explain their decision and let those affected by these laws turn outrage into action.
For more information, visit FreeSpeechCoalition.com.