Copyright forbes
Smartphone users are taking huge risks. If you are a user of pornographic websites then everything has suddenly changed. For the first time, your freedom to watch the content where you want, on the device you want is being stopped. New data says this will kill traffic. But what’s really happening is that millions are using VPNs to hide their location, and that’s dangerous. Estimates suggest half of adults access adult websites, and increasingly on their iPhone or Android phone. Porn bans in multiple U.S. states and European countries — whether as a blanket restriction or by mandating age verification — are changing behaviors. But it’s not stopping adults accessing porn. And so when you read the news this week, that Pornhub, the world’s largest porn site, has seen a 77% drop in U.K. traffic following the country’s Online Safety Act, you can completely ignore it. It’s not true. ForbesGoogle ‘Forces’ Android Update—This Changes All 3 Billion PhonesBy Zak Doffman What’s actually happening is that U.K. adults are turning to VPNs to mask their locations. Just as residents of U.S. states affecting bans now pretend to be someplace else. Pornhub makes this as easy as possible. It makes no effort to pierce the VPN veil. MORE FOR YOU What do we mean by this? VPNs tunnel your web traffic via servers rather than directly. This hides your IP address and — if it’s a good VPN — secures your traffic. If the server it located overseas, the websites you visit think assume where you are. But most websites are not trying to stop visitors from specific locations, The location of the server is not the only telltale sign. A website could look at your browser settings or cellular settings or recognize you from previous visits. But they elect not to. That’s why it’s harder to watch live sports from your usual provider when you’re away from home, their market restrictions try to catch you out. Porn sites do not. With Pornhub you can visit the domain, see the page warning you to verify your age or that you’re in a restricted location, and then change your VPN location and refresh the page. The page’s logic doesn’t even flag that you switched from London to New York in seconds. It’s makes a mockery of legislation always destined to be unenforceable. Just a few years ago, very few iPhone and Android users outside “dark" locations such as China, Russia or Iran spent time worrying about VPNs. Most didn’t have any installed and likely didn’t even understand what these apps do. But porn bans and the short-lived U.S. TikTok ban have turned VPNs into must-have apps, no longer the preserve of internet users behind iron or bamboo curtains or traveling business folk worried about hotel WiFi. So here’s the warning — VPNs are dangerous. You are trusting all your content to a third-party provider who can see where you are and the websites you visit. At a minimum. There are plenty of reports of rogue VPNs doing much worse than that. In particular, you must avoid free VPNs and Chinese VPNs. Stick to bluechip options. ForbesAndroid Attacks Confirmed—Do Not Ignore Google And FBI WarningsBy Zak Doffman When you read that Pornhub traffic is down 77%, what you’re actually reading is that VPN usage is up massively. It’s more than likely that most of that huge 77% traffic drop is just pretending to be in any one of dozens of countries with no restrictions at all. If you’re going to install and use a VPN, please adhere to these guidelines: Only install VPNs from Play Store or App Store Only use paid VPNs on an open subscription for a sensible amount, never with obfuscated in-app purchases Only use VPNs from well-known developers that you can easily research and find on mainstream websites Never use a VPN from a developer based in China Always ensure Play Protect is enabled if you’re using Android, and never disable or pause Play Protect to install a VPN it flags as risky. Editorial StandardsReprints & Permissions
