Britons Flock To VPNs To Dodge New Age Verification Checks Online

Authored by Owen Evans via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

Downloads of virtual private network (VPN) apps have surged in the UK as users look for ways to bypass new age verification rules introduced after the latest provisions of the Online Safety Act took effect on July 25.

The rules require online platforms to implement strict age checks to shield children from content deemed harmful, including bullying, pornography, self-harm, and hateful content.

They effectively mean that all adult internet users in the UK must prove they are not children to access certain websites.

Rather than upload their ID or have their faces scanned, users are moving towards VPNs.

A VPN allows users to establish a secure and encrypted connection over the internet. They effectively mask Internet Protocol (IP) addresses and anonymize online presences, making it more difficult for websites, advertisers, and government agencies to track a user’s activities.

On July 25, ProtonVPN said on X it was experiencing a surge in sign-ups from UK users.

“Just a few minutes after the Online Safety Act went into effect last night, Proton VPN signups originating in the UK surged by more than 1,400,” ProtonVPN stated. “Unlike previous surges, this one is sustained, and is significantly higher than when France lost access to adult content.”

Created by the former Conservative government as the world’s first comprehensive online safety law, the Online Safety Act received Royal Assent in October 2023.

The now-Labour government states on its website that platforms “have a legal duty to protect children online.”

Telecommunications regulator Ofcom said on July 25 that the most popular adult service providers, including Pornhub, along with thousands of smaller sites, have committed to deploying age checks across their services.

“This means it will be harder for children in the UK to access online porn than in any other OECD country,” it said, referring to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development member nations.

Ofcom also said that other online platforms have now announced they will deploy age assurance, including Bluesky, Discord, Grindr, and X.

News aggregation website Reddit said that, from July 14, a third-party provider called Persona will perform age verification for the social media platform either through an uploaded selfie or “a photo of your government ID,” such as a passport.

“Reddit will not have access to the uploaded photo, and Reddit will only store your verification status along with the birthdate you provided so you won’t have to re-enter it each time you try to access restricted content,” it said.

The Age Verification Providers Association lists several approved methods for age checks, including mobile phone account verification, credit database matching, transactional records, and digital ID apps.

Biometric age estimation can be done using facial or even voice blueprints, gestures, and keystrokes (how you type), though it is said that these methods are currently less well-developed than facial analysis, but are progressing fast.

Ofcom said that it is now actively checking compliance.

If companies fail to comply with their new duties, Ofcom has the power to impose fines and, in very serious cases, apply for a court order to block the site or app in the UK.

Google Trends data showed that searches for VPNs in the UK quadrupled following the law’s implementation.

A recent petition to repeal the act has already gathered more than 350,000 signatures. Many of the top 10 free apps in the UK Apple Store are currently VPNs.

Economist Maxwell Marlow told The Epoch Times that he believed that the rise in the use of VPNs is “indicative of how short-sighted, malicious, and authoritarian this Act is.”

“It seems members from all parties were taken in by the spiel of ’safety first,’ disregarding concerned critics and specialists, about how this legislation will only crush freedom of speech and association, and not protect a single vulnerable person,” he said by email.

“Young and old know what VPNs are, no matter if the government tries to prevent their usage, they are ubiquitous and will easily side-step the provisions in the law. The government should repeal this dreadful law,” Marlow said.

Conservative Peer Lord Daniel Moylan told The Epoch Times that during the passage of the Online Safety Act, he challenged the government over the “unintended effects of implementing blanket protections for children from harm.”

“The government was not keen to engage and, remarkably, expressed confidence in Ofcom to get these fine balances right,” he said via email.

“I’m not surprised that many people appear to be seeking to circumvent requirements to disclose personal details to often foreign websites with no proven track record of data security. Wasn’t this predictable? And how many of those doing so are in fact children?”

Moylan previously told NTD’s “British Thought Leaders” that while the intention to protect children is “laudable,” he doesn’t believe that seeking to “regulate the entire internet is a proportionate or effective answer to that particular problem.”

‘Not a Silver Bullet’

An Ofcom spokesman told The Epoch Times by email that some teenagers might bypass checks.

“Until now, kids could easily stumble across porn and other online content that’s harmful to them without even looking for it. Age checks will help prevent that. We’re now assessing compliance to make sure platforms have them in place, and companies that fall short should expect to face enforcement action,” the spokesperson said.

“But age checks are not a silver bullet, and some determined teenagers may get round them. Ultimately, this needs to work alongside education, awareness campaigns and through supportive conversations with trusted adults.”

VPNs are legal in the UK.

A government spokesman told The Epoch Times by email that platforms “have a clear responsibility to prevent children from bypassing safety protections.”

“This includes blocking content that promotes VPNs or other workarounds specifically aimed at young users,” he said.  “Where platforms deliberately target UK children and promote VPN use, they could face enforcement action, including significant financial penalties.”