It’s impossible to ban all VPNs. And even if they somehow do it, you can get a VPS(virtual private server) from one of the cloud providers (AWS, GCP, Azure etc.) and host your own vpn service (OpenVPN, Algo, Vultr). You don’t need to know a lot about it, there are step-by-step guides for it.
They’ll ultimately just have to cut off the US Internet from the rest of the world, right? As long as we can access other countries with more freedom, we can enjoy that level of freedom on the Internet. Or am I not understanding how the Internet works (entirely possible)?
The people pushing these laws are hoping it will have the “California Effect.”
Like when California says “Cars need to meet X emissions standards” so far makers just make cars everywhere meet those standards.
They are hoping that by making age verification a thing in a few states, it will become a thing everywhere.
This fails to realize that one, it’s easy to geofence a state online (VPNs being anwork around). And Two, companies generally comply with California laws because, on the whole, California passes mostly positive limitations. It only makes the cars and world better if they all meet the better emissions standards. Blocking porn like this, is a net negative.
Also, on the subject of kids accessing porn. They are going to do it anyway, anyone thinking otherwise is oblivious to the world, and two, it’s not up to the state to nanny this shit, it’s up to the parents.
I agree with all of that. What I don’t agree with is blaming the entirety of the US for this policy. This is one dumbass state, doing a dumbass thing. The UK passed a similar law and I’d be just as wrong if I shit talked the rest of Europe for it.
The UK vs EU and the states vs the USA is not apples to apples. As I understand it though, we’re actually approaching 20 US states requiring such verification. Iowa is trying to pass something similar. This is a trend across the country, which is why I generalized the USA.
While Pornhub is not blocked in Louisiana, it is blocked in these 17 states, a Pornhub representative confirmed to Mashable:
Alabama
Arkansas
Florida
Idaho
Indiana
Kansas
Kentucky
Mississippi
Montana
Nebraska
North Carolina
Oklahoma
South Carolina
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Virginia
In Louisiana, where users must submit ID to view Pornhub, the site has seen traffic decline by around 80 per cent, Aylo (Pornhub’s parent company) told Mashable.
This is not just “Oh Florida is just being quirky again” this is systematic.
Related:
Florida experiences a huge 1,150% surge in VPN use as Pornhub blocks access in response to age-verification law
https://www.tomshardware.com/software/vpn/florida-experiences-a-huge-1-150-percent-surge-in-vpn-use-as-pornhub-blocks-access-in-response-to-age-verification-law
I am really curious how long it will take them to ban VPNs.
It’s impossible to ban all VPNs. And even if they somehow do it, you can get a VPS(virtual private server) from one of the cloud providers (AWS, GCP, Azure etc.) and host your own vpn service (OpenVPN, Algo, Vultr). You don’t need to know a lot about it, there are step-by-step guides for it.
Just block every AS that belongs to a hoster.
They’ll ultimately just have to cut off the US Internet from the rest of the world, right? As long as we can access other countries with more freedom, we can enjoy that level of freedom on the Internet. Or am I not understanding how the Internet works (entirely possible)?
If it makes you feel any better, you can rest assured that Capitol Hill doesn’t know how the Internet works either.
What you’re not understanding is that Florida is just a single state out of 50
The people pushing these laws are hoping it will have the “California Effect.”
Like when California says “Cars need to meet X emissions standards” so far makers just make cars everywhere meet those standards.
They are hoping that by making age verification a thing in a few states, it will become a thing everywhere.
This fails to realize that one, it’s easy to geofence a state online (VPNs being anwork around). And Two, companies generally comply with California laws because, on the whole, California passes mostly positive limitations. It only makes the cars and world better if they all meet the better emissions standards. Blocking porn like this, is a net negative.
Also, on the subject of kids accessing porn. They are going to do it anyway, anyone thinking otherwise is oblivious to the world, and two, it’s not up to the state to nanny this shit, it’s up to the parents.
I agree with all of that. What I don’t agree with is blaming the entirety of the US for this policy. This is one dumbass state, doing a dumbass thing. The UK passed a similar law and I’d be just as wrong if I shit talked the rest of Europe for it.
The UK vs EU and the states vs the USA is not apples to apples. As I understand it though, we’re actually approaching 20 US states requiring such verification. Iowa is trying to pass something similar. This is a trend across the country, which is why I generalized the USA.
https://www.ipvanish.com/blog/us-age-verification-laws/
As of January 2025:
This is not just “Oh Florida is just being quirky again” this is systematic.
Some US states already have more restrictive abortion laws than Saudi Arabia, so why not Internet laws too.