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Samizdata, derived from Samizdat /n. - a system of clandestine publication of banned literature in the USSR [Russ.,= self-publishing house]

Samizdata quote of the day – VPNs now a Red Flag as Age-Check Lobby cracks down on privacy

A trade group representing companies that build age verification systems is now lobbying to extend these checks to anyone using a VPN in the UK. The Age Verification Providers Association (AVPA) wants online platforms that fall under the UK’s censorship law, the Online Safety Act, to not only detect VPN usage but also analyze user behavior to guess whether someone might be a minor in disguise.

If flagged, users would face a prompt: prove your age, or allow a one-time geolocation to confirm you’re outside the UK.

According to the AVPA, this process is necessary because VPNs can mask users’ actual locations, allowing them to appear as though they are in countries where age verification laws do not apply. The association points to data showing a dramatic increase in VPN use around the time the UK’s new internet rules were enforced, suggesting people are using these tools to bypass restrictions.

This approach treats privacy tools as a form of defiance. Here, VPNs, once considered sensible and essential for online security, are being rebranded as suspicious.

Richard Eldred

1 comment to Samizdata quote of the day – VPNs now a Red Flag as Age-Check Lobby cracks down on privacy

  • bobby b

    No one was really concerned that kiddies were viewing smut until it became clear that this was the camel’s nose that could wipe out internet anonymity.

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