03/15/2024 01:00 PM House JUDICIARY

             HB 254-PROHIBIT PORNOGRAPHY TO MINORS                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
1:07:51 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR VANCE announced  that the final order of  business would be                                                               
HOUSE BILL NO. 254, "An  Act relating to liability for publishing                                                               
or distributing pornography to minors on the Internet."                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR VANCE opened public testimony on HB 254.                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
1:08:32 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
ERIC FALER,  representing self, testified  in support of  HB 254.                                                               
He shared  a personal  anecdote and reported  that 71  percent of                                                               
teenagers aged 13-17 come across  pornography without looking for                                                               
it, and  children aged 11-13 are  the most likely to  say that it                                                               
was unintentional.  He reiterated his support for the bill.                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
1:10:00 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
SAVANNAH SLY,  representing self,  testified in opposition  to HB
.  She expressed concern about  the privacy risk that the bill                                                               
posed  for   Alaskans;  in  addition,   she  said  it   might  be                                                               
ineffective in  preventing minors from accessing  adult material.                                                               
She expressed  further concern that requiring  Alaskans to upload                                                               
their  identification  (ID)  could  create  a  highly  sensitive,                                                               
stigmatized data  bank that would  entice hackers.   She believed                                                               
that there are  better ways to accomplish the  goal of preventing                                                               
minors  from  accessing adult  material.    She recommended  more                                                               
holistic prevention  measures, such as the  installation of adult                                                               
controls and filters on devices used by minors.                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
1:11:54 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MANDY   SALLEY,  Chief   Operating   Officer,  Woodhull   Freedom                                                               
Foundation,  testified in  opposition to  HB 254.   She  said she                                                               
agreed with  the goal of keeping  children from age-inappropriate                                                               
material; however,  similar bills  in Utah, Texas,  and Louisiana                                                               
raise significant  privacy risks for consumers  and violate First                                                               
Amendment   protections.       Not    only   are    these   bills                                                               
unconstitutional and a  danger to consumer privacy,  but they are                                                               
also  ineffective  at  preventing  minors  from  accessing  adult                                                               
content  and easily  evaded through  the use  of virtual  private                                                               
networks  (VPN).   She pointed  out that  compliance with  HB 254                                                               
would  require   users  to  transmit  sensitive   data,  such  as                                                               
digitized  copies   of  their  government  issued   ID,  to  age-                                                               
verification software providers, which would  open them up to the                                                               
risk of data breaches.  If  passed, she said HB 254 would violate                                                               
Article 12 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
1:14:00 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
TERRA   BURNS,  Advocate,   Community  United   for  Safety   and                                                               
Protection,  testified in  opposition to  HB  254.   As an  adult                                                               
content  creator in  Alaska,  she believed  that  the bill  would                                                               
increase   her  income   by  preventing   the  free   sharing  of                                                               
pornography online.   Further, she opined that  the definition of                                                               
pornography  in HB  254  would  be too  broad  to  enforce.   She                                                               
expressed concern  that if the  bill were  to pass, she  could be                                                               
sued for  the actions  of someone  stealing and  distributing her                                                               
content.                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
1:16:41 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
SHARON  BYRNE,  Executive  Director,  Women's  Liberation  Front,                                                               
testified  in  support of  HB  254.    She reported  that  Texas,                                                               
Louisiana,  and Utah  withstood  legal challenges  by Pornhub  on                                                               
similar  legislation.   She described  pornography as  a form  of                                                               
economic violence  against women and  said too many  young people                                                               
are exposed to  violent content at a young age.   She opined that                                                               
anything to limit the exploitative  nature of pornography against                                                               
women should be done.                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
1:18:12 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MAXINE  DOOGAN,  President,  Community   United  for  Safety  and                                                               
Protection, testified in  opposition to HB 254.   She stated that                                                               
the civil litigations  implemented by HB 254 would  not match the                                                               
problems presented  by the bill  sponsor.  She shared  her belief                                                               
that parents  who are  exposing their  children to  adult content                                                               
should learn how  to use parental controls.   Further, she opined                                                               
that  allowing   content  creators   to  be  targeted   in  civil                                                               
litigation would be inappropriate.                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR VANCE closed public testimony on HB 254.                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
1:19:49 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
[HB 254 was held over.]