Don’t mess with Texans when it comes to porn.
A sudden increase in VPN search traffic in Texas comes days after Pornhub and other related adult websites pulled out of the Lone Star State over a new law requiring all users to verify their age by providing a government-issued ID. revealed by Google data.
A VPN (Virtual Private Network) allows Internet users to encrypt their connection, hide their location, and access geo-restricted content. Subscription-based services have become increasingly popular in recent years and typically cost just a few dollars per month.
Since Pornhub blocked access in the state on March 14, VPNs have become the only way to access sites within Texas’ borders. Shortly thereafter, search interest in the term “VPN” in Texas spiked by more than 400%, according to Google Trends. According to variety.
The Dallas-Fort newspaper said Worth topped the list of large Texas cities due to a surge in VPN Google searches, followed by Houston, Austin, Waco-Temple-Bryan and San Antonio.
The Anti-Corruption Act was signed by Gov. Greg Abbott in June 2023, but did not take effect until last week due to legal challenges.
The law requires online publishers whose content, more than one-third of which is “sexual content that is harmful to minors,” to verify the age of all website visitors through background checks.
The law was scheduled to go into effect on September 1, but was initially put in place after a lawsuit brought by the Free Speech Coalition, an advocacy group that includes Aylo Holdings, Pornhub’s Canadian parent company, under the First Amendment Act. was invalidated by a federal judge on the grounds that
Then last week, a federal appeals court overturned a lower court ruling and upheld most of the law, and it went into effect. Rather than comply, Pornhub blocked access to the site throughout the state.
“Until a real solution is provided, we have made the difficult decision to permanently disable access to our Texas website,” posted on Pornhub and other adult sites in its network. It is written in the message that was sent.
“In doing so, we will abide by the law as always, but we hope that governments around the world will actually enforce laws that protect the safety and security of our users.”
Alex Kekesi, vice president of brand and community at Airo Holdings, said in a statement that the fight continues.
“This is not the end. We are considering our options and consulting with our legal team,” Kekeshi said. “We will continue to fight for our industry and the performers who make a lawful living, and we will continue to advocate through all available judicial channels to have this law recognized as unconstitutional.”
according to sem rushPornhub is currently the fourth most popular website in the United States, trailing only Google, YouTube, and Facebook in terms of site visits.
The Pornhub network also includes other adult websites such as Brazzers, RedTube, and YouPorn, all of which are also located in seven other US states: Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana, North Carolina, Virginia, and Utah. Limited.
