A well-known VPN provider saw a 1,000% increase in sign-ups merely 30 minutes after Pornhub limited access in France this week. The adult platform allegedly exited its second-largest market on June 4 because of a new French age-verification law, as reported by Mashable’s Anna Iovine.

“5PM – PornHub restricts access in France,” Proton VPN tweeted on Wednesday. “5.30PM – @ProtonVPN registrations soar by 1,000%[.] For reference, this is more than the spike seen when TikTok barred users in the U.S.”

Mashable has reached out to Proton VPN for a response.

A VPN, or virtual private network, is a service that directs your internet data through an encrypted tunnel to a distant server before it is released onto the web. The primary aim of a VPN is to restore some online privacy from one’s Internet Service Provider and other inquisitive parties. However, they are also frequently employed to disguise one’s location: A VPN can create the impression that its user is accessing websites from a different country than they are physically present in.

Founded in 2017, the Swiss-based Proton VPN currently offers an extensive network of over 13,000 servers across 117 countries globally. So far, it is the only VPN service we have evaluated that has received a Mashable Choice Award. Read our complete review.