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SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Utah is a step closer to requiring all cellphones and tablets sold in the conservative state to automatically block pornography after the Republican governor signed legislation Tuesday that critics call a significant intrusion of free speech.
Gov. Spencer Cox has said the measure would send an “important message” about preventing children from accessing explicit online content. The proposal is the latest move in Utah’s legislative campaign to curb the availability of porn.
Combating porn is a perennial issue for Utah lawmakers, who are predominantly members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Lawmakers have previously mandated warning labels on print and online pornography and declared porn a “public health crisis.” Church leaders also have drawn attention to what they consider the harms of pornography.
There is some precedent for other states following Utah’s example on porn restrictions — more than a dozen states advanced similar resolutions to declare porn a public health crisis after Utah became the first to do so in 2016.
https://www.snopes.com/ap/2021/03/23/utah-block-porn/
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