Tennessee SB2042/HB2160

Age verification mandate. Relevant features:

• Enforcement:
  • private lawsuits
  • the state attorney general may sue for a court order to force the website to comply
• Age verification mechanisms allowed:
  • Digitized identification card
  • Verification through an independent third-party age verification service that compares the personal information entered by the individual who is seeking access with material that is available from a commercially available database, or aggregate of databases, that is regularly used by government agencies and businesses for the purpose of age and identity verification
  • A commercially reasonable method that relies on public or private transactional data
• Other provisions:
  • “A commercial entity that knowingly publishes or distributes material harmful to minors from a website containing a substantial portion of material that is harmful to minors shall provide subscribers the opportunity, before accessing the material, to request that the commercial entity block website access through the subscriber's internet or cellular service subscription, using a commercially reasonable method.”
  • If someone requests it, the website must block access “using the subscriber's internet or cellular service subscription so that a minor does not receive material that is harmful to minors when using the subscriber's subscription.”