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A New Bill Aims to Ban Both Adult Content Online and VPN Use. Could It Work?

Michigan representatives just proposed a bill to ban many types of internet content, as well as VPNs that could be used to circumvent it. Here’s what we know.

On Sept. 11, Michigan representatives proposed an internet content ban bill unlike any of the others we’ve seen: This particularly far-reaching legislation would ban not only many types of online content, but also the ability to legally use any VPN.

The bill, called the Anticorruption of Public Morals Act and advanced by six Republican representatives, would ban a wide variety of adult content online, ranging from ASMR and adult manga to AI content and any depiction of transgender people. It also seeks to ban all use of VPNs, foreign or US-produced. 

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VPNs (virtual private networks) are suites of software often used as workarounds to avoid similar bans that have passed in states like Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi, as well as the UK. They can be purchased with subscriptions or downloaded, and are built into some browsers and Wi-Fi routers as well.

But Michigan’s bill would charge internet service providers with detecting and blocking VPN use, as well as banning the sale of VPNs in the state. Associated fines would be up to $500,000.

What the ban could mean for VPNs

Unlike some laws banning access to adult content, this Michigan bill is comprehensive. It applies to all residents of Michigan, adults or children, targets an extensive range of content and includes language that could ban not only VPNs but any method of bypassing internet filters or restrictions. 

That could spell trouble for VPN owners and other internet users who leverage these tools to improve their privacy, protect their identities online, prevent ISPs from gathering data about them or increase their device safety when browsing on public Wi-Fi.

Read more: CNET Survey: 47% of Americans Use VPNs for Privacy. That Number Could Rise. Here’s Why

Bills like these could have unintended side effects. John Perrino, senior policy and advocacy expert at the nonprofit Internet Society, mentioned to CNET that adult content laws like this could interfere with what kind of music people can stream, the sexual health forums and articles they can access and even important news involving sexual topics that they may want to read. «Additionally, state age verification laws are difficult for smaller services to comply with, hurting competition and an open internet,» John added.

The Anticorruption of Public Morals Act has not passed the Michigan House of Representatives committee nor been voted on by the Michigan Senate, and it’s not clear how much support the bill currently has beyond the six Republican representatives who have proposed it. As we’ve seen with state legislation in the past, sometimes bills like these can serve as templates for other representatives who may want to propose similar laws in their own states.

Could VPNs still get around bans like these?

That’s a complex question that this bill doesn’t really address. When I asked NordVPN how easy it would be track VPN use, privacy advocate Laura Tyrylyte explained, «From a technical standpoint, ISPs can attempt to distinguish VPN traffic using deep packet inspection, or they can block known VPN IP addresses. However, deploying them effectively requires big investments and ongoing maintenance, making large-scale VPN blocking both costly and complex.»

Also, VPNs have ways around deep packet inspection and other methods. CNET senior editor Moe Long mentioned obfuscation like NordWhisper, a counter to DPI that attempts to make VPN traffic look like normal web traffic so it’s harder to detect.

There are also no-log features offered by many VPNs to guarantee they don’t keep a record of your activity, and no-log audits from third parties like Deloitte that, well, try to guarantee the guarantee. There are even server tricks VPNs can use like RAM-only servers that automatically erase data each time they’re rebooted or shut down.

If you’re seriously concerned about your data privacy, you can look for features like these in a VPN and see if they are right for you. Changes like these, even on the state level, are one reason we pay close attention to how specific VPNs work during our testing, and make sure to recommend the right VPNs for the job, from speedy browsing to privacy while traveling.

Correction, Oct. 9: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated how RAM-only servers work. RAM-only servers run on volatile memory and are wiped of data when they are rebooted or shut down.

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Technologies

Apple Gave Us the Neo, Now It Might Be Planning a High-End MacBook Ultra

The company might launch its most sophisticated MacBook ever, with its first OLED screen.

Apple went budget with the MacBook Neo. Now reportedly the company is preparing to go high end, and high price.

Apple is gearing up to launch a MacBook «Ultra» in the fall, outfitted with the first OLED display in MacBook history, according to a report from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman.

Gurman says the new laptop will have a touchscreen and new M6 chips. Last month, Bloomberg reported that Apple could be launching its first touchscreen MacBook — with a Dynamic Island. The Dynamic Island is a feature on more recent iPhone models — iPhone 14 and later — that’s shaped like a long horizontal pill atop the screen and shows alerts, notifications, timers and music.

It if happens, the Ultra would be at the opposite end of the cost spectrum from the Neo, which Apple launched earlier this month for $599 as a rival to Chromebooks and Windows laptops in the same price range. Gurman says the MacBook Ultra could cost 20 percent more than the new MacBook Pro (M5 series), which Apple lists at $1,699.

If you want to read more about the new Neo, CNET has been all over it: Here’s why students might love it, the colors we liked and didn’t like and why the Neo is a really is a game-changer.

Gurman suggested that Apple might keep selling the M5 series MacBook Pro even after the Ultra launches. That would give the company a wider range of MacBooks at various costs — the Neo ($599), the Air (starting at $1,099), the Pro ($1,699) and the Ultra. 

Tech analyst Paolo Pescatore said adding the premium MacBook Ultra would «signal a clear shift in strategy» for Apple.

«If this turns out to be the case, then Apple appears to be stretching the Mac further upmarket,» Pescatore told CNET. «The opportunity is to drive higher spending and keep premium users firmly within Apple’s ecosystem. The challenge will be avoiding confusion, especially if the lines between MacBook Pro and iPad Pro become even more blurred.»

Gurman also said that Apple’s first foldable iPhone, rumored to be launched later this year, might be called the «iPhone Ultra.»

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Technologies

AI Is One of the Least-Liked Things in America, According to New NBC Poll

The poll finds that AI is viewed less positively than ICE and President Donald Trump, and only more positively than Iran and the Democratic Party.

Artificial intelligence has rapidly become embedded in everything from phones to schoolwork to war plans. And that means everyone is likely to have an opinion about the technology. 

A new national survey conducted for NBC News highlights a striking disconnect between the spread of AI tools and Americans’ views on them. The poll, which ran from Feb. 27 to March 3, asked 1,000 registered voters about their views on topics ranging from border security to the new pope. 

Only 26% of voters said they view AI positively, 46% view it negatively, and 28% said they feel unsure or have no opinion, leaving AI with a net favorability of -20. In the study, AI ranked less favorably than US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, President Donald Trump, former Vice President Kamala Harris, the Republican Party and The Late Show host Stephen Colbert. (Pope Leo XIV was by far the most popular person respondents were asked about.) 

Among the rankings, AI is one of the least popular topics in the survey — ranking only slightly more positively than Iran and the Democratic Party.

A growing disconnect between AI and public opinion

There is a notable disconnect between the industry’s ongoing push for AI adoption and how Americans feel about it. 

Tech companies are currently investing millions of dollars into developing generative AI tools and physical AI. In the last week alone, OpenAI released its latest GPT 5.4 model and AI companies made moves to work with the US Department of Defense. At the same time, Americans are growing increasingly wary of the technology.

The mismatch between adoption and public sentiment seems to be driven by concerns about AI’s broader impact, such as job displacement, privacy issues, the spread of misinformation and the undermining of human-made work. 

For companies and policymakers going all in on AI, the biggest challenge will be less about developing the next slew of innovative chatbot models or AI devices and more about persuading the public that the technology can be trusted. 

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Technologies

Just $30 Will Get You 3 Months of the 5GB Mint Mobile Phone Plan

Finding a phone plan for $10 a month was impossible until this Mint Mobile deal came along.

If you told me I could get a three-month cell plan for just $30, I probably wouldn’t believe you. But that’s exactly what Mint Mobile is offering right now. If you pay for three months of 5GB cell service upfront, you can score it for just $30.  

New customers to Mint Mobile can score a 5GB wireless plan for just $10 per month for the first three months. The only catch is you have to use the code 5GB10 and pay $30 upfront for the full term. The usual price is $45 for three months, meaning this is a 33% discount. 

After the three-month period, the plan renews at $25 per month for three months. If you really like the plan, you can opt for the six-month version, which can lower the monthly cost to $20. You can also track your data usage in the Mint Mobile app and switch to a better-suited data plan when it’s time to renew.

Don’t forget a new phone to go with your new phone plan. Take a look at the best phone deals you can score right now. 

MOBILE DEALS OF THE WEEK

Deals are selected by the CNET Group commerce team, and may be unrelated to this article.

Why this deal matters

It seems like everything is becoming more and more expensive these days. That’s why saving wherever you can makes a huge difference. The phone bill is one thing that is here to stay, and that’s why this deal of $10 per month is really unbeatable. Just keep in mind you’ll have to pay the full three months upfront. But even that is just $30 total. Be sure to use code 5GB10 for the discount. 

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