Arthur T Knackerbracket has processed the following story:
Florida witnessed a massive rise in VPN demand on New Year's Day after Pornhub began prohibiting people from accessing its site from within the Sunshine State, it is claimed.
Between the clock striking midnight and 4am on January 1, the day of the Pornhub pullout, the folks at VPN-pushing vpnMentor documented a rather incredible 1150 percent spike in Floridians wanting to use a VPN to mask their public IP addresses.
January 1 marked the implementation of Florida's age-verification mandate, so perhaps all those netizens were scrambling for a VPN client and provider so that they appeared to the adult dot-com to be visiting from somewhere outside the Sunshine State, and thus evade Pornhub's blockade.
[...] Here's the back story: In March, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) signed the Online Protection for Minors act, aka House Bill 3, into law. The legislation requires websites to verify visitors' ages, and for those hosting a "substantial portion of material harmful to minors," such as Pornhub, to block access to anyone under 18 in an effort to prevent kids and teens from peeping on any pornographic videos. Making sure children aren't looking at smut online requires identity and age verification, which Pornhub isn't willing to get into.
HB3 allows fines of up to $50,000 for websites that don't comply with the regulations.
And so in response, Pornhub's parent company Aylo decided to yank the site from Florida users as it had already done in other states with similar laws, including Kentucky, Indiana, Idaho, Kansas, Nebraska, Texas, North Carolina, Montana, Mississippi, Virginia, Arkansas, and Utah.
"Unfortunately, the way many jurisdictions worldwide, including Florida, have chosen to implement age verification is ineffective, haphazard, and dangerous," Aylo told news outlets in a statement.
"Any regulations that require hundreds of thousands of adult sites to collect significant amounts of highly sensitive personal information is putting user safety in jeopardy. Moreover, as experience has demonstrated, unless properly enforced, users will simply access non-compliant sites or find other methods of evading these laws."
[...] For what it's worth, Robin Tombs, boss of Yoti, which provides age checks for blue-movie sites in the US, argued earlier this week that its age confirmation system, using facial analysis, and identity document verification is secure and safe, as you might imagine.
[...] The New Year may ring in some good news for southern states' smut surfers, however. Over the summer, the US Supreme Court agreed to hear a case challenging the legality of the Texas law, which could set a precedent for similar age-verification mandates — and, thus, Pornhub blocks.
The Texas case, Free Speech Coalition, et al v. Paxton, is set for argument on January 15. ®
(Score: 5, Insightful) by Revek on Wednesday January 08 2025, @09:28PM (14 children)
The maga's are all about show. There is little of substance about them.
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(Score: 2) by tangomargarine on Wednesday January 08 2025, @10:18PM (10 children)
It's a win-win for the moral guardians, as either they force through this thing and PornHub complies, which gives them blackmail snooping material on all those dirty liberal porn people...or PornHub pulls out of the state, thus denying them porn from that source.
I remember not long ago when Utah was doing this because Mormons.
"Is that really true?" "I just spent the last hour telling you to think for yourself! Didn't you hear anything I said?"
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 08 2025, @10:40PM (7 children)
It's been about outlawing porn the whole time. They've been trying forever.
Now they have a proven, winning strategy.
They keep at it like people will stop taking videos of them selves fucking someone "hot", like if they hurt the major porn producers in the wallet, it'll all stop. Maybe it will: if they can hit the major producers so hard they *stop*, then all that's left is the individuals, get them to fight each other all over "We broke up, it's revenge porn!" and they'll shut off the spigot. For the few that are left over, shame them over and over societally, wage protests outside their apartment, Westboro baptist church-style, and get it to all just "go away".
I fear they've developed a winning strategy. Just another incident of the US being not for personal freedom or freedom of speech, but all about "their" freedom - the freedom to do as the vocal minorities demand of you.
(Score: 5, Insightful) by Thexalon on Wednesday January 08 2025, @11:27PM (5 children)
The thing is, they can't stop what they want to stop.
People will get off for fun. It's guaranteed so long as they have arms longer than their torso. If they somehow managed to cut off the supply of videos, there's photos. If they managed to get rid of that, then it's Renaissance paintings. If they managed to get rid of that, then it's literature. Or lingerie models. Or your slutty classmate playing "I'll show you mine if you show me yours". Or if all else fails, your imagination, including dreams which you will have zero control over.
How can I be so certain? Because people have been doing so in the face of the most oppressive regimes, forever. For example, there are reports of young Iranians holding orgies as a symbol of defiance of the ayatollahs.
"Think of how stupid the average person is. Then realize half of 'em are stupider than that." - George Carlin
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Thursday January 09 2025, @12:45AM (4 children)
Somehow, I don't think Donatello et all would have painted "Two Girls One Cup" or "Goatse", in spite of that "category" having the (dubious) success in modern times that it has.
https://www.youtube.com/@ProfSteveKeen https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 2, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday January 09 2025, @08:39AM (1 child)
Archeologists and anthropologists don't talk about it much, but the majority of art, all the way back to and including cave paintings, is porn.
(Score: 4, Funny) by c0lo on Thursday January 09 2025, @10:39AM
You surely mean... ummm... fertility semiotics, right?
https://www.youtube.com/@ProfSteveKeen https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 3, Informative) by Thexalon on Thursday January 09 2025, @12:59PM (1 child)
I'd bet they would have done whatever they were paid to do, although they might not have put their name on it. Those guys were businessmen first and foremost. There are whole museums and books of erotic art.
There's lots of historical artwork that was very clearly created with the intent of being wanking material. I picked the Renaissance simply because there's lots of well-known stuff in that period in particular, but that goes for pretty much any era. What, you thought the popularity of Venus or Aphrodite as a subject had something to do with religious devotion?
"Think of how stupid the average person is. Then realize half of 'em are stupider than that." - George Carlin
(Score: 2, Touché) by c0lo on Thursday January 09 2025, @03:54PM
Contextualization:
My thesis is that many of today's porn consumers* would find the Renaissance paintings** failing short in satisfying their special kinks.
In other words, if I understood your argument correctly, the Renaissance paintings aren't quite the substitute for the today's PornHub becoming inaccessible
* in their quest for a quick gratification at their fingertips
** as viewable today on the Internet
Conjuring the Russell's teapot, I invite you to step into the shoes of a Florida hillbilly (with a bad case of blue balls that needs addressed in emergency) and search the Internet for a Renaissance painting (or just crop from one) depicting Goatse.
https://www.youtube.com/@ProfSteveKeen https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 2) by Tork on Thursday January 09 2025, @12:34AM
Heh. I've heard from a couple of people on Facebook that'd stop hurricanes, too! Um... they think that about the tattoo industry as well.
🏳️🌈 Proud Ally 🏳️🌈
(Score: 2) by mcgrew on Thursday January 09 2025, @07:54PM (1 child)
...those dirty liberal porn people...
There are liberals in FLORIDA??
Impeach Donald Palpatine and his sidekick Elon Vader
(Score: 2) by tangomargarine on Tuesday January 14, @04:47PM
Of course. The revolution is not complete until ALL antirevolutionaries are eliminated! /s
"Is that really true?" "I just spent the last hour telling you to think for yourself! Didn't you hear anything I said?"
(Score: 2) by mcgrew on Thursday January 09 2025, @07:44PM (2 children)
The maga's are all about show
The acronym is MAGAT, meaning "Make America Grate Again Troublemakers." A very large number of them belong to the Proud Boys, KKK, American Nazi Party, and the John Bitch Society.
My daughter says Trump was elected because his opponent was a woman. Ya think Kamala's maybe not being all White had anything to do with it? This is still a very racist society, after all. I was amazed that Obama was elected.
Impeach Donald Palpatine and his sidekick Elon Vader
(Score: 3, Insightful) by cmdrklarg on Thursday January 09 2025, @10:18PM
The Florida Orange Man was elected for a number of reasons, including Harris being a woman. In likely order:
1. The constant sane-washing of the FOM's speech and actions by right wing media.
2. The constant drumbeat of "Democrats Bad" by aforementioned right wing media.
3. Pissed off Progressives staying home because Biden/Harris didn't immediately solve the Gaza crisis (as if the FOM will make it better?).
4. As you mentioned, misogynists who couldn't possibly vote for a woman.
5. 2/3rds of the electorate treating politics as a team sport (vote according to the letter after the name on the ballot).
6. Anti-incumbent voters.
Obama was elected because he was a highly charismatic man, and energized the progressives. His opponents were less charismatic and didn't resonate with the voters as well. The racists at that time were already unlikely to vote Democrat anyways. I'll bet that it held true for them in 2024 as well.
The world is full of kings and queens who blind your eyes and steal your dreams.
(Score: 2) by Revek on Monday January 13, @02:48PM
Its all of them. Republicans are MAGA. They earned their name by their support of it.
This page was generated by a Swarm of Roaming Elephants
(Score: 4, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 08 2025, @09:43PM (2 children)
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 08 2025, @09:46PM
How else are they going to cum on the Florida tits?
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Wednesday January 08 2025, @11:10PM
They're only pulling out because of how flacid the legislators are in backward states.
The server will be down for replacement of vacuum tubes, belts, worn parts and lubrication of gears and bearings.
(Score: 2) by Tork on Wednesday January 08 2025, @11:57PM (8 children)
🏳️🌈 Proud Ally 🏳️🌈
(Score: 3, Interesting) by c0lo on Thursday January 09 2025, @12:32AM (6 children)
Missed opportunity, tho', for PornHub. They could run the PornHubVPN themselves (maybe they do under another name?)
https://www.youtube.com/@ProfSteveKeen https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 3, Funny) by Tork on Thursday January 09 2025, @12:36AM (5 children)
🏳️🌈 Proud Ally 🏳️🌈
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Thursday January 09 2025, @12:49AM (4 children)
I haven't visited PornHub for a while, did they introduce "Floppy dicks hanging pathetically" category (and it has shown enough popular interest to act as a logo)?
https://www.youtube.com/@ProfSteveKeen https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 2, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday January 09 2025, @08:43AM (3 children)
Dude, you're in Australia. Download a map of Florida and turn it the right way up.
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Thursday January 09 2025, @11:26AM (2 children)
If I need a reminder how a ... ummm... stiff one looks naturally, all I have to do is locate Cape York penisula on the map.
What makes it even better, it is devoid of any Florida seppos.
https://www.youtube.com/@ProfSteveKeen https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday January 11 2025, @05:17AM (1 child)
So Cape York on a map gets you ... a reminder?
Geography must have been a fun class. (No kink-shaming, you do you. :) )
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Saturday January 11 2025, @05:34AM
It comes an age when looking at Florida's position is boring, you are seeing that representation all too often.
Otherwise, no worries, mate, chances are you will reach that age too.
https://www.youtube.com/@ProfSteveKeen https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 2) by Thexalon on Thursday January 09 2025, @01:09PM
I mean, I for one would be at least amused by PornHub releasing what filth they streamed to the governor's mansion, congressional offices, the White House, etc, just to make the people who are trying to ban fun have to squirm in front of the cameras for a bit.
"Think of how stupid the average person is. Then realize half of 'em are stupider than that." - George Carlin
(Score: 2) by Frosty Piss on Thursday January 09 2025, @12:29AM (1 child)
Perhaps Matt Gaetz [cbsnews.com] will have something to say about this - Freedom of Speech and all... He's positioning himself to run for Florida Governor [dailykos.com]...
(Score: 5, Funny) by c0lo on Thursday January 09 2025, @12:35AM
No, thank you, I'm not coprophiliac
https://www.youtube.com/@ProfSteveKeen https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 4, Insightful) by Barenflimski on Thursday January 09 2025, @12:33AM (1 child)
If it was so easy to block people from things on the internet, one would think Florida and everyone else would just block all Chinese and Russian IP's from accessing the state, yet they still get ransomwared by the Chinese and the Russians.
The whole thing is ridiculous. I wouldn't be surprised if a few legislators invested in VPN companies immediately before this.
(Score: 3, Touché) by c0lo on Thursday January 09 2025, @12:39AM
Why, tho'? Do you think those Chinese and Russians would fail the age check?
https://www.youtube.com/@ProfSteveKeen https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday January 10 2025, @06:27PM
The party of limited government.