UK House of Lords Votes to Extend Age Verification Requirements to VPNs and Online Platforms
By
ubercow13
The kind of bagel that ruins lesser bagels for you.
Summary
The UK House of Lords has voted to extend age verification requirements to VPNs and a wide range of online platforms under the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill. This decision expands the reach of the controversial Online Safety Act, linking child safety goals to mechanisms that could significantly impact private communication and digital autonomy. The move represents a major policy shift that brings VPNs and private platforms into an age-check regime previously considered unthinkable in democratic societies.
Key quotes
· 3 pulledThe UK House of Lords has voted to extend 'age assurance' requirements, effectively age verification mandates, to virtual private networks (VPNs) and a wide range of online platforms under the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill.
The decision deepens the reach of the already-controversial Online Safety Act, linking child safety goals to mechanisms that could have severe effects on private communication and digital autonomy.
The vote marks a stunning turn, pulling VPNs and private platforms into an age-check regime once unthinkable in a democracy.
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