One of the world’s largest pornography websites, Pornhub has officially been blocked in the state of Utah. Meaning if you try to access Pornhub with a Utah IP Address you will not be allowed onto the site.
The ban is in protest of a new state law that requires porn websites to verify the age of their visitors.
The law, which went into effect on May 3, 2023, it requires porn websites to use a third-party verification service to confirm that users are at least 18 years old. If a website does not comply with the law, it could be fined up to $10,000 per day.
Pornhub, which is owned by MindGeek, said it would not comply with the law because it believes it is “unworkable, unenforceable, and unconstitutional.” The company also said that the law would “put children at risk” by forcing them to provide identification to access adult content.
In response to the block, Pornhub has offered to pay for Utahns to use a VPN service to bypass the block. A VPN service encrypts a user’s internet traffic, making it difficult to track or identify them.
The block on Pornhub has been met with mixed reactions in the state of Utah. Some people have praised the law for protecting children, while others have criticized it for being an infringement on free speech.
It remains to be seen whether Pornhub will be able to continue to operate in Utah without complying with the law. The company has said that it is “considering all of its options” and that it is “committed to protecting the privacy of our users.”