ODDS and ENDS: VPN demand big in Utah after Pornhub restrictions, other offerings

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Porn giant PornHub has blocked Utah residents from accessing content in a direct response to the state’s requirement that users verify their identity.

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Utah is a conservative state, hence the push to make it far harder to access the site.

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Utah porn users have responded by flocking to VPNs — virtual private networks — to get around the restrictions, according to Cultural Currents Institute.

“These services can be used to fool public networks into thinking users are accessing content from somewhere else — for example, somewhere where their adult videos of choice are still available. According to search data acquired from Google Trends, Utah’s search interest in VPNs has exploded since the site was blocked,” the report said.

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Google Trends data was collected for the search term “VPN” for all 50 U.S. states and D.C. for May 2, 2023 as well as the full month of March 2023, according to Cultural Currents, a global PR, marketing and market research firm.

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According to the bill, age verification would most likely take place by a user providing a government-issued identification card or using a third-party app. PornHub wants “device-based” verification.

NOT THE PLACE TO LEAVE SENSITIVE DOCUMENTS

Classified files about a secret British nuclear sub were found in a toilet cubicle, according to the U.K. Sun.

The plans regarding HMS Anson, a vessel that cost more than $2 billion, were found at a Wetherspoons pub.

The files showed the inner workings of the torpedo-loaded vessel, including details about HMS Anson’s hydraulics, which control torpedo hatches, steering and buoyancy, according to the report.

A source said the pub was packed when the papers, marked “Official Sensitive,” were recently found.

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Government guidance says that information marked “Sensitive” must only be shared on “genuine need to know” and could have damaging consequences if they were lost, stolen or published.

The source said: “It was quite a lively night. The pub was full of people from the docks — military and civilian. I went into the toilet and the plans were lying on the floor of the cubicle …. Anyone could have found them. It was lucky it wasn’t some deep cover Russian spy.”

A naval source said the documents were part of a reference manual that is readily available on board.

Anybody who had worked on the submarine would have used the manual.

A navy spokesperson said the papers were “generic training documents… However, we take all security matters extremely seriously and will investigate the circumstances of their discovery.”

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NO TP FOR YOU!

Sticking with the washroom theme, a South Carolina high school official threatened to take away toilet paper.

Cornelius Cromer, assistant principal at Newberry High School, told students and staff last week that toilet paper would have to be picked up in the front office, according to WIS-TV.

“Administration has decided to take the toilet tissue out of the restrooms for the remainder of the school year,” an email from Cromer said.

The reason: Some students had been flushing entire rolls of toilet paper down the toilet, the message said.

Human resources reportedly put the kibosh on the plan, though, WIS-TV said.

THAT’S A LOT OF CANDY

A lots of strange stuff gets smuggled in luggage at airports, but candy isn’t usually on the list.

Israeli security at Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv found 170 kilograms of Fruit Roll-Ups on May 2, according to a video shared by Mako, an Israeli news outlet.

Times of Israel reporter Amy Spiro shared the video of security uncovering heaps of Fruit Roll-Ups in a traveller’s suitcases on Twitter.

Oddly, another American allegedly brought in 661 pounds of Fruit Roll-Ups just a week earlier, according to the report.

Israeli authorities say TikTok is the culprit. TikTok’s Fruit Roll-up viral snack-hack has been seen by millions.

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“Remember: Just because it is photographed well, raises buzz and chatted online — doesn’t mean it’s healthy for you and your children,” the Israeli Ministry of Health said on Facebook.

Prices for the snacks have surged because of the trend. The Israeli government is encouraging people to  snack on cucumbers, instead.