Several VPN providers have reported a notable increase in user demand following the recent withdrawal of several pornographic websites in France, including Pornhub and YouPorn.
VPNs allow users to get around the fact that the sites were being shut down in France by allowing them to geolocate themselves in other territories, masking their actual locations.
They can be used to hide the user’s IP address and to bypass geolocation blocking of websites, for example, by connecting to a server in the US.
The three porn giants have decided to stop broadcasting in France in protest at new legislation regarding age verification designed to stop minors accessing pornographic content online.
Aylo, the owner of major adult sites Pornhub, RedTube and YouPorn, said it would suspend access to its French platforms in protest at France’s strict new age verification requirements. https://t.co/UllF8D0QPJ
— Brussels Signal (@brusselssignal) June 4, 2025
Following the announcement on June 3 and the website withdrawal on June 4, Google Trends data showed a spike in VPN interest, with peak popularity recorded on June 5 at 1 am in France. It remained high across the country on June 6.
Speaking to Brussels Signal on June 6, Lithuania-based VPN provider NordVPN confirmed it saw an increase in usage of more than 300 per cent.
“NordVPN reported a 170 per cent increase in usage across the country as early as June 5, morning. By June 6 morning, that figure had risen to plus-320 per cent,” it said.
The company also stated that this spike was most likely due to adults’ interest in sites.
“Since NordVPN cannot be purchased by minors without a bank card and therefore without parental authorisation, this surge in transactions clearly reflects demand from adult French citizens,” it said.
NordVPN noted, though, that such trends were not unusual: “We typically observe similar spikes in usage in regions where digital freedoms are under threat or where content is being censored,” it said.
VPN provider Proton showed on social media a registration increase coming from France.
“At 5pm, PornHub blocks France from accessing its website, 5.30pm, Proton VPN registrations increase by 1,000 per cent. For context, this is more than when TikTok blocked Americans,” it said on June 4.
In 2024, Pornhub revealed that France was one of the top two countries accessing the site.
5PM – PornHub blocks France from accessing its website
5.30PM – @ProtonVPN registrations increase by 1,000%
For context, this is more than when TikTok blocked Americans. pic.twitter.com/gVZynD5hPS
— Proton VPN (@ProtonVPN) June 4, 2025
