Pornhub made Premium content free worldwide, wants you to stay indoors

“Help flatten the curve,” urges porn platform

Pornhub joins a growing number of online services that have made their content free or easier to access in a bid to keep people indoors | Reuters Pornhub joins a growing number of online services that have made their content free or easier to access in a bid to keep people indoors | Reuters

The world’s most popular porn website has been an unlikely source of freebies during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. After announcing that it would donate 50,000 surgical masks to those who fight the coronavirus in New York, and making Pornhub Premium free for its users in Italy, the company has now announced that the whole world will be able to access its premium content for free. 

Corey Price, Pornhub’s vice president, said in a statement, “With nearly one billion people in lockdown across the world because of the coronavirus pandemic, it’s important that we lend a hand and provide them with an enjoyable way to pass the time. We hope by expanding our offer of free Pornhub Premium worldwide, people have an extra incentive to stay home and flatten the curve.”

A ‘StayHomeHub’ page was made for users who want the free service. To avail of it, they have to check a box that states ‘I agree to self isolate and enjoy Premium Videos for FREE’. There is also another option saying, “I can’t self-isolate, but I promise I will regularly wash my hands and maintain social distance.”

On March 12, as Italy was beginning to face the full brunt of the coronavirus outbreak, the company announced that Italians would receive free access to the platform’s premium content (which normally costs around $10 a month). 

The move prompted a wave of memes, as almost-jealous Pornhub users in other parts of the world joked about using VPNs to avail the company’s free offer by routing their internet traffic through Italian servers.

As cases mounted in Spain and France, Pornhub announced that it would be offering its free services in those countries as well. 

Pornhub joins a growing number of online services that have made their content free or easier to access in a bid to keep people indoors, as countless millions are advised to self-quarantine and stay indoors to check the spread of COVID-19. 

Pornhub is blocked is India, as are other porn sites, after a 2018 Uttarakhand High Court order asked the government to restore a 2015-era ban on 857 porn websites.    

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