A federal judge in Utah granted Pornhub parent Aylo a preliminary injunction blocking enforcement of the state's aggressive "actual location" VPN provision under Senate Bill 73. The order stops Utah from treating VPN users as if they were physically in the state for age-verification purposes — at least while the case proceeds.
The ruling is a significant early win for adult platforms that argued the VPN rule was unworkable, overbroad and likely unconstitutional. It does not erase Utah's broader adult-content regime. The state's 2% adult digital content tax still took effect on October 1, 2026.
What the VPN Rule Tried to Do
Utah's law pushed platforms to determine a user's "actual" location even when a VPN masked the IP address. Industry groups said that standard would force unreliable device signals, invasive checks or blanket blocks that punish privacy tools used by adults for legitimate reasons.
Aylo and allied free-speech advocates asked the court for emergency relief. The preliminary injunction means Utah cannot enforce that specific VPN-location approach against the covered parties while litigation continues.
What Still Applies
Creators and platforms should not treat the injunction as a free pass. Age-verification duties that do not depend on the blocked VPN rule may still apply. The 2% tax remains in force. Compliance teams are separating "enjoined" pieces from "still live" pieces so they do not under- or over-block Utah traffic.
Ongoing coverage of Utah adult-content litigation appears on trade sites such as XBIZ and in filings available through the federal court docket.
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Related: Utah 2% Tax Still in Force · Ofcom UK Age Check Notices
Related Video
Video source: YouTube — Judge blocks Utah age-verification rule — ABC4 Utah
Related Video
Video source: YouTube — Pornhub parent Aylo takes Utah to court — FOX 13
Quick Answers
What did the court block? Utah's rule treating VPN users as Utah residents for adult-site age verification.
Is the 2% tax blocked too? No. The tax still took effect October 1, 2026.
Is the injunction permanent? No. It is preliminary while the case continues.
FAQs
Who brought the challenge?
Aylo, the parent company of Pornhub, sought the injunction. Free-speech groups have also criticized the VPN approach.
Do creators need to change anything today?
Follow your platform's Utah settings. The tax and any non-enjoined age rules may still apply even though the VPN provision is on hold for covered parties.
Aylo's injunction is a reminder that state adult-content experiments face real courtroom tests. Utah can still tax and regulate; it just cannot, for now, force the specific VPN-location rule the court put on ice.
