The Utah lawmaker who helped get pornography declared a public health crisis is now considering legislation that could restrict porn on the internet.
Senator Todd Weiler, R - Woods Cross, says that he’s interested in running a bill next year that would require internet service providers to filter out pornography unless a customer asks for it.
“What I’m hoping to accomplish is to try and protect children from pornography just like we try to protect children from alcohol and tobacco and other harmful substances,” he says.
But the idea has almost instantly received pushback from multiple people. Among those is Pete Ashdown, president and CEO of the Utah internet service provider XMission.
“You know, I’m all for protecting children from seeing pornography on the internet and we provide software for our customers to do that with, but this is not about protecting people from pornography if they see it accidently, it’s about someone grandstanding morality for a political position in Utah,” he says.
Ashdown also says what Senator Weiler is proposing is technologically challenging and likely wouldn’t completely restrict pornography.
But Sen. Weiler says he’s seen examples of it elsewhere and thinks they could find a solution. In the meantime, Weiler says he’s trying to learn as much about the issue as possible and is seeking public input.
