VPN service says web traffic jumped nearly 50% in Texas after Pornhub disabled its content

When she saw that Pornhub was disabling access in Texas, Express VPN privacy advocate Lauren Hendry Parsons's reaction was rooted in what she's seen the past few years. "Honestly, all I thought was, here we go again," Parsons said. Texas was the latest state to see Pornhub pull access to its content for people logging on from people in the state. But there is a workaround for people looking to access that content: VPNs. A VPN is a virtual private network that hides a user's IP address, which means the location of the user also is hidden and they can operate their device as if they aren't in the location they are currently residing. Pornhub pulled its access in Texas on March 14. Express VPN saw a 48% increase in web traffic from Texas over the next week.

This is the second-biggest increase in web traffic following the implementation of age verification laws. Utah saw a 57% increase in traffic after its law went into effect last May. Arkansas was the only state that didn't see an increase in web traffic following laws being implemented. All other states saw an increase of at least 12%. "We look at the web traffic to expressvpn.com and we see that there's a notable uptick in interest in VPN services. What that tells us is people find a way to stay connected and to find what they want," Parsons said. Pornhub pulled its access in Texas as an objection to HB 1181, a law that requires sites distributing pornography companies to have age verification systems to dissuade minors from using the site. In the wake of the decision from Pornhub, Paxton has also sued two more pornography companies this week.