North Dakota Enacts Age Verification, Deepfake Penalties on Porn Sites

North Dakota Governor Kelly Armstrong signed bills requiring age verification for websites hosting pornographic content and penalizing the creation and distribution of non-consensual deepfake pornography. The laws, effective August 1, mandate that adult sites use reasonable verification methods, such as government-issued IDs, to prevent minors from accessing harmful material, which is broadly defined to include simulated acts and certain depictions of nudity. Websites failing to comply may face civil liability from parents or guardians of minors who accessed the content. Rep. Steve Swiontek, chief sponsor of the legislation, emphasized the moral obligation to protect children from early exposure to pornography and modeled the bill after Utah's 2023 law, acknowledging no method is foolproof but aiming to prevent most access by minors. Meanwhile, the European Commission has initiated formal proceedings against Pornhub and other adult platforms for inadequate age verification, highlighting global regulatory trends focused on safeguarding minors online. These developments reflect increasing legislative efforts in the U.S. and Europe to enforce stricter controls on adult content accessibility to protect youth.