Google searches for VPN in Texas spike after Pornhub pulls out of Lone Star State

Google searches for VPNs, or virtual private networks, surged Thursday in Texas after adult-entertainment site Pornhub — one of the world’s most-visited sites — cut off access to Lone Star State web surfers.

Pornhub disabled access in Texas after the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the state’s 2023 law requiring all adult-oriented websites require age-verification. Porhub is pursuing a federal court case to throw out the Texas statute, arguing it’s an invasion of privacy and violates free-speech protections.

“While safety and compliance are at the forefront of our mission, providing identification every time you want to visit an adult platform is not an effective solution for protecting users online, and in fact, will put minors and your privacy at risk,” PornHub wrote in a statement that now pops up when Texans try to access its site.

News of Pornhub … ahem … pulling out of the state broke around midday Thursday, and by 5:30 p.m.that day, interest in VPNs shot up in Texas, earning a “search term score of 100, the highest level of popularity,” according to data from Google Trends. Indeed, more VPN-related searches originated in Texas than in any other U.S. state.

VPNs are network connections that allow computer users to encrypts their internet traffic and shield their online identities — presumably offering a workaround for anyone who wants to hide that they’re accessing Porhub from a computer in Texas.

Some of the most popular VPN services are Express VPN, Surfshark VPN and NordVPN, all of which require subscription payments to use its service, according to internet culture blog CNET.  (In case any horn-dogs out there still haven’t figured out how to get around the block.)

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This article appears in Mar 6-19, 2024.