Especially in this era of data breaches.
If you want to buy a copy of Playboy from a newsstand, in general, you’re going to get asked for ID at the counter. It’s been like that for a very long time and nobody seems to have a real problem with it. It’s unclear why people think this kind of requirement just goes away if it’s on the Internet.
Pornhub: "Uh... we promise? The database says we did."
Now what?
https://legiscan.com/TX/text/HB1181/id/2819916
> 129B.002(b) A commercial entity that performs the age verification required by Subsection (a) or a third party that performs the age verification required by Subsection (a) may not retain any identifying information of the individual.
So I suppose the court would take them at their word unless there were some evidence presented that they did not check ID or accepted an obvious fake (e.g. a sting operation), just like in person.
I don't understand why everyone gets so up in arms about this topic without ever reading the laws being written. Absent any information, you might guess that the system ought to work exactly the way it does in person too, which seems to be the case. This was true of the (Utah?) parental controls law discussed on HN a couple weeks ago too. People start asking all these what-ifs about things the law explicitly thought about, and handled in a reasonable way.
I even agree with you, violations of this won't be anyone's primary charge, but I might disagree that we should conclude that its existence won't affect people.
Besides, like a lot of these laws, the primary consequence is a chilling effect where porn sites aren't accessible and in that light it's an effective law.
> Suspecting the Washington-based hospital of providing gender-affirming care to Texas children, which is now banned in Texas, AG Ken Paxton issued investigative subpoenas demanding medical information.
Why wouldn’t they do the same sort of harrassing digging in this case?
If they were going to, why not do that kind of harassment digging with records they are required to keep about the performers?
The difference between the Internet and the guy at the newsstand is that you know the guy at the newsstand doesn't have a photographic memory, a replicated database in multiple availability zones, SLAs with IDV providers which are vague about retention policies, or marketing partners who have special offers just for you.