Free Speech Coalition and a group of adult platforms have filed a legal challenge in Indiana over the state’s age-verification law, SB17, arguing that it violates the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. SB17 empowers the state attorney general to file civil suits against platforms with adult content if they do not require visitors to upload a government ID and scan their face, or otherwise verify their age and identity. In addition to challenging the merits of the law, the Free Speech Coalition and its co-plaintiffs have requested an expedited preliminary injunction in the United States District Court Southern District of Indiana. Read more here.

The Australian government has announced a A$6.5 million trial of "age assurance" technology to restrict minors' access to pornography. Methods under consideration include matching IDs against government databases, biometric analysis, and online behavior profiling, each posing different privacy risks. Critics argue that these technologies, often unreliable and biased, do not effectively address the root causes of gendered violence or support healthy sexual development in youth. Instead, they recommend comprehensive sex education and open communication about sex as more effective solutions. Read more on The Conversation.

Australia has suspended its efforts to force X (formerly Twitter) to globally suppress video of a crime at a Sydney church after pushback from the platform and free speech advocates. This decision highlights the protective power of U.S. free speech laws, which rendered the Australian censorship attempts unenforceable. Critics argue that the move was less about the specific video and more about the government's desire to expand its regulatory powers over online content. Read more on Reason.