UK Age Verification Laws Drive Surge in VPN Use, Raising Concerns About Internet Freedom
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Summary
The UK's Online Safety Act, which mandates age verification for adult content, has led to a significant increase in VPN usage as users seek to bypass these restrictions. Experts anticipated this trend, noting similar patterns in other countries with age verification laws. Open internet advocates warn that such regulations threaten free expression online.
Key quotes
· 3 pulledAfter the United Kingdom’s Online Safety Act went into effect on Friday, requiring porn platforms and other adult content sites to implement user age verification mechanisms, use of virtual private networks (VPNs) and other circumvention tools spiked in the UK over the weekend.
Experts had expected the surge, given that similar trends have been visible in other countries that have implemented age check laws.
Open internet advocates warn that the uptick in use of circumvention tools in the UK is the latest example of how an escalating cat-and-mouse game threatens the open internet.
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