You now need a VPN to avoid age verification checks in Arizona

Internet users in Arizona must now upload either a valid form of government ID or submit to credit card checks to prove their age before they can access "adult content" online. Any site whose content is made up of 33% or more of adult material (including sexual, gambling, and violent content) is subject to the requirement, but it can be avoided if you use a VPN.

Arizona isn't an isolated case either. Louisiana has a similar age verification law, and Michigan is heading in that direction. Using one of the best VPN services you can find is one solution, though, not only to continue enjoying services uninterrupted, but also to retain control over your privacy.

Age verification checks are one thing, but putting the onus on the service providers to make those checks and store the data is a whole different can of worms just waiting to burst open. Aylo, the parent company of a well-known adult website, criticised the strategy, telling Fox 10 that "regulations that require hundreds of thousands of adult sites to collect significant amounts of highly sensitive personal information is putting user safety in jeopardy."

Aylo also claims that, while its traffic dropped after the implementation of the law in Louisiana, people simply looked elsewhere for adult content. People didn't stop looking for adult content, says Aylo, "they just migrated to darker corners of the internet that don't ask users to verify age, that don't follow the law, that don't take user safety seriously, and that often don't even moderate content. In practice, the laws have just made the internet more dangerous for adults and children."

With the slow creep of online verification and anti-VPN sentiment from lawmakers, it might seem like the end of an era for internet freedom. Perhaps it is, or perhaps, as Aylo points out, there is an alternative - device-based age verification that ensures content is limited based on the age of its owner.

However, you can use a VPN to avoid these checks. Whether you use a VPN for gaming or simply to keep control over your privacy on public Wi-Fi, make sure you're using the best option available. It can be hard to know where to start, with Proton VPN, Surfshark, CyberGhost, and ExpressVPN all offering services. We recommend our partner, NordVPN, which offers affordable and discreet connection points around the world, and you can get it from here now.

For more information on how VPNs can benefit you, read our Minecraft VPN and Warzone VPN stories, which detail their impact in those games specifically.