Beginning on Friday, September 26 of this year, residents in Arizona will lose access to the adult site Pornhub. Earlier this year the Arizona State legislature passed HB2112, which requires “A commercial entity that knowingly and intentionally publishes or distributes material… of which more than one-third is sexual material that is harmful to minors shall use reasonable age verification methods to verify that an individual who attempts to access the material is eighteen years of age or older”—and porn sites (obviously) stand to be affected the most.
In anticipation of the law taking affect, Pornhub’s parent company Aylo has already stated that it will begin restricting access to its adult sites for residents in Arizona in protest. Aylo and other privacy advocates claim that these laws not only violate free speech, but will infringe on personal privacy protections. By forcing individuals to hand over personally identifiable information to third parties, it creates the potential for government overreach and data misuse.
This is following a trend that has seen more than 23 other states lose access to the incredibly popular NSFW site. Similar bans occurred throughout last year for residents in Texas and Florida, among others. Just this year, residents in Wyoming, Georgia, South Dakota, and North Dakota also lost access due to similar laws in each state.
For legal-age Arizonans looking to access the site, this is disruptive to say the least. Fortunately, there’s an easy workaround: using a VPN. Simply download and install your preferred VPN, connect to a server in a state that isn’t blocked, and enjoy the content.
Below are my top picks for VPNs to access Pornhub (or other Aylo-owned adult content) if you’re in Arizona where access is blocked.
NordVPN – Best overall
NordVPN is my overall top pick for VPNs. It comes with a heap of great features including Double VPN, ad- and tracker-blocking, Dark Web monitoring, plus plenty of domestic U.S. and international servers—with coverage in most states.
It also has the fastest connection speeds, meaning you won’t need to stream in a resolution that makes it look like the important bits are blurred on purpose. NordVPN has one of the widest platform support networks as well, so you’ll be able to view unrestricted content on all of your devices.
ExpressVPN – Runner-up
ExpressVPN is a close second to NordVPN, only losing out due to slightly slower speeds and a few less extra features. These are minor issues, though, and ExpressVPN is an absolute class option for all VPN users. In fact, as a result of all of these age-verification laws, ExpressVPN completed a massive U.S. network expansion to include servers in every U.S. state. So you can rest assured you’ll find access to your favorite adult sites as long as there is at least one state without these restrictions.
It also consistently has great speeds, meaning you can stream in HD to your heart’s content. Plus, it works with every device and comes with one of the best user-privacy records around.
Mullvad – Best for privacy
Depending on how seriously you take your privacy, Mullvad might actually be the best VPN option. The service is not only among the top five fastest VPNs, but it’s also the best for privacy hands-down.
Mullvad goes out of its way to know as little about you as possible. The service doesn’t ask for an email address or name and you can even mail in a cash payment if you prefer to keep your credit card off record. Plus, it costs a mere $5 per month regardless of the plan you choose.
Proton VPN – Best free VPN
While I don’t usually recommend that anyone use a free VPN due to their proven security and privacy risks, Proton VPN is one of the few exceptions. This service from the well-known Swiss-based Proton brand has a spotless track record for user privacy. And incredibly it’s also ad-free.
Just like all free VPNs, there are limitations, but thankfully Proton VPN keeps them relatively benign. For no cost whatsoever you’ll get a one-device connection limit and access to five servers located in different countries around the world (including the U.S.). There are no speed or data limitations on these free servers either—something that’s not common with other free VPNs.
Just know that with servers in the U.S. you’ll only have access to the server location closest to you and some of these might be in States with age verification laws in place. Still, you have nothing to lose by trying out the free service, and if you like it enough you can always upgrade to the paid version with access to all 11,000+ server locations and top-notch feature set.
