The moment the New Year’s fireworks met January 1, 2025, new restrictions on accessing Pornhub went into effect in three more states, meaning people in 17 states now have a harder time finding the videos that help them see fireworks. Ahem.
Because semantics (sometimes) matters, it’s important to point out that Pornhub isn’t banned in these states. Rather, users have to submit verified, state-approved identification, such as a driver’s license or a passport before they can access the website. The aim, according to the states, is to keep children from accessing pornography.
As a result, Pornhub blocked access from devices that connect from these states entirely. So even if you’re game to provide your ID over the internet from, say, Florida or Texas, Pornhub will meet you with a page stating that while they support efforts to keep minors off their platform, they disagree with the data security and efficacy of the ways these states have attempted to mandate it. Read the statement below for what happens when you try to access Pornhub from a device based in Texas.
what can a vpn do?
It can get around the restriction and demand for proof of identification by making it seem to the website that you’re accessing it from another state.
VPN stands for virtual private network. Think of it like a trusted middleman who handles your digital information as it flows into and out of your computer. He’s your point of contact between your precious computer and the wild world of whack jobs online.
Without a VPN, websites have a direct link to your computer. With one, websites know the data you send and receive comes through your middleman, but not from you, providing an insulating layer that gives you some protection from snoops. That’s the layman’s definition for a very, very complicated topic.
vpns to get, vpns to avoid
Private Internet Access (PIA) and ExpressVPN used to be top recommendations of mine, and I used them both. Then in 2019, PIA was merged into Kape Technologies, a notorious malware peddler once known as Crossrider until mounting PR nightmares, such as being named in the Panama Papers, spurred a name change in 2019.
And then Kape gobbled up ExpressVPN in 2021. Needless to say, I avoid both PIA and ExpressVPN now. Would I trust my data in Kape’s hands? Nope, and the VPN business is all about transparency and trust.
NordVPN is my current VPN of choice for protecting my browsing from snoops, thieves, and personal data gobblers. Like with any VPN I’ve ever used, I pay the normal consumer price for it myself. Notably, it doesn’t log user information. Even if a government agency or court compelled them to turn over user data, they can’t if they don’t collect it.
A no-log policy is crucial for a VPN in my eyes. Being independently audited by unbiased, reputable third parties is also a must-have for any worthwhile VPN. NordVPN has been verified more than a few times and came up clean.
Mullvad VPN, and Proton VPN are all other good choices noted for their independently requested audits that turn up clean bills of recommendation. Proton VPN’s feature set is more limited, but it’s also the only recommended free VPN in my list.
Where a VPN is based also determines whether it’s subject to the laws of the signatory nations of the Five Eyes, Nine Eyes, and 14 Eyes international surveillance alliances. Those based in the US or EU are, and so NordVPN is based in Panama, which is outside all three alliances’ jurisdictions.
Mullvad VPN is based in Sweden, which is a member of 14 Eyes but not the other two surveillance alliances. Mullvad VPN explains here about the protections Sweden law has regarding VPNs specifically, and it’s good enough for me that I’d use it. Proton VPN is based in Switzerland, which isn’t a member of any of the three above alliances.
TunnelBear, owned by McAfee, is based in Canada, which is a member of the Five Eyes Alliance. Because of that, I’d shy away from it in lieu of NordVPN or Mullvad VPN. You can read their news of their latest independently commissioned audit, if you wish. Would I use them over PIA or ExpressVPN? Absolutely. But being located in Canada is a no-no for me.
what now?
Funny, though, that many of the same politicians and supporters who favor the Pornhub restrictions (or who wish to outlaw and criminalize pornography entirely, such as the unconstitutional Project 2025) are the ones to decry Big Government and government overreach into private lives.
We’re living in a topsy-turvy world in which these people say it isn’t the government’s job to make sure that people aren’t poisoned by toxic air or tainted food, but that it is the government’s job to force on you its decrees over which books your kids can read, what you’re allowed to wear in public, whether you become a daddy or a mommy against your will, and whether you’re allowed to look at naked people in the privacy of your own home without logging your ID and internet activity into a government database.
Perhaps the folks concerned with the protection of minors from perversion could turn a little attention toward the prevalence and broad legality in America of child marriage. After all, that’s only prohibited in 13 states.
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