Pornhub's blockage move in Utah leads to a sudden increase in Google searches for VPN access.
A sign at the Pornhub booth is displayed at the 2017 AVN Adult Entertainment Expo at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino on January 18, 2017, in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The decision of the adult website to restrict users in Utah from accessing Pornhub is its way to protest against the new age-verification law (S.B. 287).
The 2023 Legislature unanimously passed this, and it was then signed by Gov. Spencer Cox, allowing the bill to become law.
The new law requires companies in the adult industry to check users' ages so that they can ensure that consumers accessing pornography sites are really adults.
However, this new law includes ID verification, which Pornhub strongly rejects.
Pornhub Blockage: VPN Google Searches Increase in Utah
According to Business Insider's latest report, after Pornhub blocked access to its website in Utah, VPN access Google searches spiked in the state.
This photograph was taken on May 24, 2022, in Toulouse and shows screens displaying a minor child sign and the logo of the pornographic site Pornhub. - The judicial examination of Arcom's request against porn sites has been postponed to one month, on May 24, 2022.
Also Read: Meta Permanently Bans Pornhub's Instagram Account After a Week-Long Suspension
Many of these Google searches came from urban areas. Meanwhile, some of the search volumes were traced back to smaller Utah towns.
These include Magna, Moroni, Mount Pleasant, and Providence. Aside from VPN access searches, Google searches for basic VPN queries, such as "What is VPN?", also increased.
Since many Utah residents can't access Pornhub, Google searches for VPN access became the most popular search term statewide.
Pornhub's Suggestion
Pornhub said that safety and compliance are one of their main objectives. However, the adult website doesn't agree with Utah's decision to use ID verification.
In Pornhub's video, Cherie DeVille, one of Pornhub's film actresses, said that requiring users' ID cards every time they access the website is not the most effective solution.
She added that using the ID all the time can put children and their privacy at risk. Now, Pornhub suggests that device-based verification should be used instead.
As of writing, the new S.B. 287 law of Utah is still effective. It is still unclear if Utah officials will adjust this law or just let it as it is.
Here are other stories we recently wrote about Pornhub:
In 2018, the VPNHub, Pornhub's official free VPN service, was launched. In 2022, Meta decided to suspend Pornhub's Instagram account from its platform.
For more news updates about Pornhub and the laws against it, always keep your tabs open here at TechTimes.
Related Article: YouTube Disables Pornhub's Channel for Violating External Link Policy
