DENVER — Free Speech Coalition (FSC) has announced that, with its help, Colorado's recently introduced age verification bill has been defeated.
FSC's statement follows:
Colorado SB 201, an age-verification bill that would have required any sites with material “harmful to children” to pay for both age verification of users and audits of third-party age-verification providers, failed to secure a Senate vote after opposition from Free Speech Coalition and others.
“We worked hard to educate allies and legislators on this bill,” says Alison Boden, Executive Director of Free Speech Coalition. “It was introduced with bipartisan support and almost no formal opposition. We met with legislators and allies to help them understand the technical and legal issues with this bill, as well as how it could be weaponized against non-adult content. Over this coming year, we’ll work with legislators to find effective solutions that don’t jeopardize user privacy or Coloradans’ First Amendment rights.”
Boden testified before Colorado’s Senate Health and Human Services Committee in March, explaining to legislators the myriad of problems with age verification at the platform level. She pushed legislators to work with stakeholders on effective solutions, such as device-level verification, and defended the industry against the attacks from sometimes hostile legislators.
Other civil liberties groups joined the opposition, including ACLU of Colorado, Fight for the Future, Woodhull Freedom Foundation, and Center for LGBTQ+ Economic Advancement and Research.
In addition to direct legislative work, FSC directed members and fans based in Colorado to contact state legislators, issuing action alerts to drive calls and emails opposing the bill.
“FSC’s work is often instrumental in stopping bad bills,” says Boden. “But to do that, we need to be on the ground fighting. It’s only through the support of our members that we’re able to achieve these victories. I thank our members for supporting us and encourage those who are not yet members to join the fight. The more members we have, the more effective we can be.”
Colorado is the fourth state to fail to pass an age-verification bill this legislative session, following the defeat of age-verification bills in Nevada, New Mexico, and West Virginia.
For more information, visit FreeSpeechCoalition.com.