How to Bypass Idaho Porn Ban

Idaho is one of the latest US states to have implemented a new porn law, now requiring adult sites to present an age verification check. Known as ‘House Bill 498,’ the new law intends to prevent minors from accessing pornography starting July 1, 2024, but has also paved the way for significant privacy issues due to its implementation.

Being forced to collect highly sensitive information, many adult sites no longer work in Idaho. For example, PornHub, RedTube, PornTube, Tube8, and more, are blocking users visiting from Idaho as a response to the new porn law.

In this guide, we’ll show you how to bypass the Idaho porn ban. More precisely, we’ll explain why a VPN is the best solution and what else this type of software brings. Plus, we’ll talk about the risks and legal implications of watching porn in Idaho.

Idaho’s Porn Law Clarified

Idaho’s House Bill 498 focuses on preventing minors from having widely available access to pornography online. The reasoning behind the new law is that pornography can cause body image problems and mental health issues, causing minors to experience difficulties in forming relationships as adults.

The prevention of access to pornography is done through age verification checks. The new law requires websites with 1/3 of adult content to prevent access to minors. That can be done through submitting a digitized identification card, a government-issued identification, or a system relying on public or private transactional data.

It’s also important to mention that Idaho’s porn ban follows the lead of around 20 other states, including Texas, Utah, Arkansas, Virginia, Montana, North Carolina, Mississippi, Indiana, and more. It all started in 2022 when Louisiana began to require age verification for IP addresses in the state. 

As a response to being pressured to collect highly sensitive data, many big-name porn sites have decided to block users from Idaho. That’s why PornHub has blocked access from many US states, and the same applies to RedTube, Tube8, Brazzers, and dozens more.

Let’s check the availability of the most popular adult sites in Idaho:

Adult Site	Availability in Indiana	Age Verification
PornHub	❌ No	❌ No
RedTube	❌ No	❌ No
xVideos	✅ Yes	❌ No
xHamster	✅ Yes	✅ Yes
XNXX	✅ Yes	❌ No
Tube8	❌ No	❌ No
PornTube	❌ No	❌ No
Chaturbate	✅ Yes	✅ Yes
Brazzers	❌ No	❌ No
YouPorn	❌ No	❌ No
PornDoe	❌ No	❌ No
Thumbzilla	❌ No	❌ No
RealityKings	❌ No	❌ No
Mofos	❌ No	❌ No
Stripchat	✅ Yes	❌ No
SpankBang	✅Yes	✅Yes

Why Use a VPN to Bypass the Idaho Porn Ban?

Aside from anonymizing your traffic and providing privacy, VPNs change your device’s IP address. By getting an IP from a state with freely open access to porn, VPNs allow you to bypass age verification checks, access any porn site, secure your digital privacy, and ensure you’re not tracked online.

Let’s take a closer look at the benefits of using a reliable VPN app:

• Access to Any Adult Website: Since they allow you to alter your digital location easily, VPNs provide access to any blocked website. In other words, they will enable you to unblock your access to PornHub and similar sites.
• Going Around Age Verification: Getting an IP from a state that doesn’t require an age verification check helps you avoid submitting your ID. So, your porn-watching activities won’t surface online if a data breach happens.
• Securing Your Digital Privacy: VPNs encrypt your Web traffic, which means that not even your Internet provider can see what you do online. More precisely, they anonymize your traffic, including your porn-watching activities.
• Ensuring You’re Not Tracked Online: VPNs prevent trackers from profiling you online, allowing you to reach a much higher level of privacy. They also help keep malware away, as most of today’s VPNs can scan for problematic files.

We want to add that VPNs are legal in the United States. Still, it’s crucial to say that you should respect your local laws. Watching porn in Idaho won’t get you into trouble even if you’re a minor but ensure that you don’t use a VPN for anything illegal.

That said, every VPN is different. When using one for hiding your porn-related online activities, you’ll want a highly secure option. Based on our hands-on tests, you should go for NordVPN, as it’s currently the top-rated VPN. NordVPN is easy to use, gives you access to any website, and brings high-end digital privacy.

How to Go Around the Idaho Porn Ban with a VPN?

You’ll need to obtain an IP address from another US state, for which you’ll use a VPN server located in that state. These are the steps you need to take:

1. Sign up for a VPN that allows you to unblock porn sites in Idaho (we recommend NordVPN).
2. Download and install the VPN app on your preferred devices (computer, tablet, phone, streaming device, and more).
3. Launch the VPN app and go through the initial setup procedure.
   
4. Use your credentials (email/username and password) to log in.
5. Pick a server in a US state like California or New York (you need to pick a location where age verification checks don’t exist).
   
6. Feel free to access any adult website. That’s all.
   

Idaho’s Porn Ban: Risks and Legal Implications

As you know by now, pornography isn’t technically banned in Idaho. It’s true that many adult sites have decided to back out of the state to oppose the new legislation, but you still have access to pornography – as long as you’re not a minor. The biggest issue is that you’ll need to prove your age, which endangers your privacy in the long run.

Also, using a VPN is not illegal in the United States. So, no matter how old you are, you have every right to use a VPN to protect your digital privacy. You won’t get into trouble even if you’re a minor, but you must be aware of your local laws. Watching porn online in Idaho isn’t punishable by law, but individual websites can be fined if they don’t stop minors from accessing their video libraries.

Furthermore, using a low-end VPN, like a free-of-charge provider, can be problematic. That’s because free VPNs often collect sensitive data, including your browsing history. They can also leak and expose your online activity to your ISP. Plus, they can expose your malware and malicious tracking online.

Final Thoughts

Even though Idaho’s legislators perhaps have a noble intention behind their decision to prevent minors from watching pornography, the latest porn law introduces severe privacy risks. Unless adequately protected, your porn-watching data could leak in the future, so it’s best to avoid any data logging systems, which is where VPNs come into play.

We’ll remind you that aside from bypassing Idaho’s porn ban, VPNs can unblock any site while ensuring you’re not tracked online. Your best option is NordVPN, which offers an army of ultra-secure servers in the US, high-end privacy, and ultra-fast speeds. Plus, it works on any device, and you can set it up in under a few minutes.

That’s all for our guide on bypassing Idaho’s pornography ban. If you have anything to add, please do so in the comments section below. Thank you for reading!