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 254. 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.]