Florida has experienced a staggering surge in demand for virtual private networks (VPNs), rising by more than 1,000 percent after Pornhub became inaccessible in the state due to new legislation.
Pornhub, the world’s largest adult-video site, has now blocked access in 17 U.S. states, including Florida, Tennessee, and South Carolina.
The block follows legislation like Louisiana’s Act 440, passed last year, which requires government-issued ID for accessing adult content. Similar laws aimed at protecting minors from harmful material have led Pornhub to pre-emptively block users in affected states rather than implement state-specific verification systems.
In the hours following the Florida block on January 1, VPNMentor detected a massive 1,150 percent increase in VPN demand. The cybersecurity organisation described the spike as “staggering,” noting similar trends in other states with restrictive laws. For instance, Utah’s block caused a 967 percent VPN demand surge, while Texas saw a 234 percent rise after introducing age-restriction laws for adult sites.
VPNs enable users to mask their location, allowing them to bypass geographic restrictions and browse privately. However, the U.S. Cyber Defence Agency and cybersecurity companies like Kaspersky have cautioned against VPN use, citing risks of malicious apps disguised as VPNs.
Aylo, Pornhub’s parent company, supports age verification on adult-content sites but criticised the legislation in states like Florida as “ineffective, haphazard, and dangerous.” A spokesperson said the requirement for hundreds of thousands of adult sites to collect “significant amounts of highly sensitive personal information” jeopardises user safety and privacy.
The spokesperson also warned that such laws are unlikely to be effectively enforced, driving users to access non-compliant sites or use workarounds like VPNs.
Pornhub’s annual Year in Review report for 2024 highlighted evolving trends in the adult content industry, including popular searches and top performers. Among gay porn stars, former stripper Malik Delgaty was the most sought-after, followed by travel blogger Tyler Wu.
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