VPN Usage Swells In Florida Following Pornhub Ban By Over 1000%

The demand for virtual private networks (VPNs) in Florida has surged by well over 1000% after Pornhub was blocked on the state’s internet. 

The world’s pre-eminent adult video site has now been banned or restricted in 17 states of Southern USA, with many requiring the use of government ID to access the site’s content. This constitutes more than a third of all American states with a restriction on the site. 

In Florida, the law known as HB3 was signed into law on March 25, 2024 by Ron DeSantis and was scheduled to come into effect on January 1st, 2025. Now that it has, Pornhub has geoblocked access to the site in Florida in protest of the government’s laws as it did in other states like Texas, Oklahoma and Kentucky. 

Aylo, the parent company of Pornhub and other adult video websites, provided a statement to 404 Media about the ban, stating: “Aylo has publicly supported age verification of users for years… Unfortunately, the way many jurisdictions worldwide, including Florida, have chosen to implement age verification is ineffective, haphazard and dangerous.” 

Pornhub ban prompts surge in demand for VPNs in Florida

However, as reported by Forbes, online security blog vpnMentor detected a peak 1150% increase in searches for VPNs just hours after the ban came into effect on January 1st, 2025. 

Floridians’ newfound desire for VPNs comes from their ability to change the digital location of the device you use it from. This would allow people in Florida (and other states where Pornhub is banned) to change their virtual location to a state where there are no restrictions on the website without having to provide a government ID. 

The use of a VPN allows users from these banned states to continue accessing adult video sites without having to provide their government IDs. However, this is a double-edged sword – many free VPNs aren’t up to snuff on the encryption or data safety fronts.

Nonetheless, users are looking for ways to circumvent these archaic laws and continue accessing adult content on the internet. As we explored, 2024 was a huge year on Pornhub for people of all persuasions, and simply outlawing it won’t fix anything – it’ll only push people to circumvent the laws, or into more dangerous alternatives.