VPN searches, demand spiked in Idaho this summer. Here’s the likely X-rated reason
BOISE – Idaho residents lost access to Pornhub, a popular adult entertainment site, earlier this summer, the result of a new law that requires such websites to verify the identity of users.
Several states have passed similar laws in the name of protecting children, but critics say it raises privacy concerns. In response, Pornhub simply blocked its site in many states, including Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Nebraska and Utah.
Idahoans seem to be finding ways to get around the law, though.
A spokesperson for NordVPN – a Lithuanian virtual private network service and one of the most well-known VPN providers – said demand from Idaho in July spiked 46% above what it was in June. And website traffic was 20% higher in July.
Also, searches for “vpn” increased greatly in Idaho right around the time Pornhub was blocked on June 28, according to Google Trends.
Virtual private networks hide a user’s IP address and their location. Many use the services as a way to protect privacy or watch shows on streaming services that are available only in other countries.
“Criminalization or censorship never go without the society’s attempts to resist them,” a NordVPN spokesperson said in an email to the Idaho Statesman. “This year has been outstanding by the number of attempts to impose constraints over internet content, and the geography of such attempts is expanding.”
Aylo, the parent company of Pornhub, said in a statement that it has supported age verification for years, but the best solution is for that verification to happen on whatever device someone is using.
“Any regulations that require hundreds of thousands of adult sites to collect significant amounts of highly sensitive personal information is putting user safety in jeopardy,” Aylo said. “Moreover, as experience has demonstrated, unless properly enforced, users will simply access non-compliant sites or find other methods of evading these laws.”
The Idaho bill’s statement of purpose for blocking such websites decried the “destructive pornography epidemic” afflicting children, and it quoted the Idaho Constitution, which says that good government’s concern is the “purity of the home.”
“There are no real accountability measures that prevent online publishers from making it accessible to (kids),” the statement of purpose read. “This legislation empowers parents of harmed children withstanding to sue perpetrating content providers for a civil remedy if they fail to take reasonable steps to ensure they are not providing such content to minors.”
A co-sponsor of the measure, Sen. Ben Toews, R-Coeur d’Alene, said in an email that it was a “sad reality” that Pornhub wasn’t willing to “take the steps necessary to prevent minors” from using the site.
“I imagine some who are using VPNs are adults who want to maintain privacy,” Toews said. “If minors are doing so, that is disappointing, but I’m confident that holding the content providers accountable is the right thing to do.”