Popular adult site Pornhub has disabled its services in Texas following the implementation of new laws that force users to verify their age.
However, Texans haven’t completely stopped using the site, as thousands are now turning to VPNs to gain access while still living in the Lone Star State.
Texas Officials Implement New Law
The state of Texas recently announced its decision to implement laws forcing all adult websites to verify the age of their users.
The move comes after Attorney General Ken Paxton brought forth a lawsuit against fears that minors were being exposed to explicit material online without any checks.
Paxton Is Happy with the Results
“Texas has a right to protect its children from the detrimental effects of pornographic content,” Paxton said, per CBS News.
“I look forward to holding any company accountable that violates our age verification laws intended to prevent minors from being exposed to harmful, obscene material on the internet.”
Pornhub Suspends Services in Texas
The new set of regulations prohibits pornographic sites from allowing users to view content without first verifying they are over 18 years old.
Pornhub, unhappy with this decision, has decided to suspend its services in the Lone Star State until further notice.
Views Can No Longer Access Pornhub
Texans who now try to visit the site are met with a message from the pornographic distributor, which calls the new law “ineffective, haphazard, and dangerous,” according to CNN.
“Until the real solution is offered, we have made the difficult decision to completely disable access to our website in Texas,” the message said.
Pornhub Hit Back at New Laws
In its message, Pornhub expressed the desire for governments and law enforcement agencies to implement better regulations.
“In doing so, we are complying with the law, as we always do, but hope that governments around the world will implement laws that actually protect the safety and security of users,” they wrote.
CNN Observes a Spike In VPN Google Searches
In the wake of Porbhub’s decision to suspend services in Texas, CNN analysts discovered that Lone Star State citizens have begun exploring options to bypass the ban.
According to Google Trends data, search interest in VPNs experienced a significant surge in the hours after Pornhub announced the news.
What Are VPNs?
Virtual private networks, or VPNs, have become popular in recent years as the software allows users to change their IP addresses.
If a person in Texas decided to change their IP address using a VPN, it would give them access to sites not available in their home state, bypassing the Pornhub ban.
A Link Between Increase in VPNs and Pornhub Seems Likely
According to CNN, the data they observed shows a correlation between Pornhub’s announcement and an increase in VPN Google searches.
While other factors may have increased the number of people searching for VPNs, Evan Greer, director of Fight for the Future, believes a link “seems pretty likely.”
Texans Work Around Pornhub Ban with VPNs
Greer goes on to suggest the recent laws will be ineffective due to VPNs.
“The apparent spike in VPN searches in Texas shows that these types of age verification laws aren’t just unconstitutional, they’re also silly and ineffective,” Greer said.
Online Censorship Fails Around the World
Greer, who sits as director of the digital rights advocacy group, compares the strict Texas laws to those witnessed in nations like Russia and China.
“Just like millions of people in countries like China, Russia, and Turkey evade their government’s draconian online censorship regimes using simple tools like VPNs, now we see Texans doing the same to get around their own state government’s invasive rules,” he said.
Pornhub Pulls Out of Multiple States
Texas isn’t the only state that Pornhub has been forced to pull out of. Others include Utah, Montana, and Virginia, which have all implemented strict verification laws.
With the increase in online censorship and age verification laws in several U.S. states, experts surmise that VPNs will only become more popular as citizens attempt to view explicit content.
