Today, a new law took effect in Utah, requiring websites to verify the ages of users attempting to view adult content. In response, the ultra-popular PornHub and numerous other… adult sites went dark in Utah, replacing the NSFW videos you’d normally expect to see with a message decrying government overreach and proposed compromises.
You can read excerpts and a rundown of the complicated political situation in CNN’s coverage if you want. What caught my eye was NBC News’ dystopia beat reporter Ben Collins noticing that Google searches for “VPN” immediately skyrocketed in Utah as folks looked to circumvent the ban. I checked Google Trends myself and yep, Utah now shows 100 percent interest for “VPN.”
A screenshot of Google Trends on 5/3/23 showing VPN search interest in Utah at 100
Brad Chacos/IDG
I don’t know much about politics, but we sure know VPNs here at PCWorld! I’m not encouraging circumventing laws whatsoever, but if you’re a Utah resident who just so happens to be looking for a VPN for totally legal reasons, here are some especially choice picks, culled from our roundup of the best VPN services.
NordVPN
If you’re looking for an inexpensive VPN that doesn’t log the sites you visit and provides fairly anonymous payment methods, NordVPN is a fine choice. It’s loaded with features and offers fast servers perfect for streaming videos. The one downside? While it only costs $3.29 per month if you commit to a two-year plan, it costs $12.99 monthly if you don’t want to sign up for a long term contract.
Mullvad
This might be a better option, however. Mullvad isn’t just in our top five VPNs for overall speeds, it more importantly earns top marks for privacy, taking seemingly every effort to know as little as possible about its users. From our roundup:
“We’ve never seen another VPN that actively resists knowing who you are the way Mullvad does. Mullvad doesn’t ask for your email address, name, or anything else. Instead it assigns a random account number that acts as your identifier and login. Mullvad accepts payments using standard methods such as credit cards and PayPal, but you can also mail your payment in cash to remain as private as possible. Mullvad has a no-logging policy and doesn’t collect any identifying metadata from your usage.”
Better yet, it costs just $5 per month regardless of the plan you choose.
AVG Secure
Finally, we love the simplicity of AVG Secure, which was crowned the best VPN for novices. It’s easy to use, backed by a well-known security brand and—get this—it includes a free 60 day trial. Lots (including laws) can change in 60 days.
If you’re looking for a no-cost VPN, we’d suggest giving AVG Secure a whirl. While free VPNs exist, they tend to limit your speeds and overall bandwidth, while often collecting data about users in aggregate and sometimes serving ads that could be used to surreptitiously track your browsing. If you’re worried about staying as anonymous as possible, paid VPNs are the way to go.
Happy surfing! (But not too happy).
Author: Brad Chacos, Executive editor
Brad Chacos spends his days digging through desktop PCs and tweeting too much. He specializes in graphics cards and gaming, but covers everything from security to Windows tips and all manner of PC hardware.