Get the latest tech news

VPN use soars in UK after age-verification laws go into effect | Proton VPN signups originating in the UK increased by over 1,400 percent.


Proton VPN signups originating in the UK increased by over 1,400 percent.

After 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. But as a new wave of age check regulations debuts, 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 can develop between people looking to anonymously access services online and governments seeking to enforce content restrictions. People living under repressive governments that impose extensive Internet censorship—like China, Russia, and Iran—have long relied on circumvention tools like VPNs and other technologies to maintain anonymity and access blocked content.

Get the Android app

Or read this on r/technology

Read more on:

Photo of percent

percent

Photo of VPN

VPN

Photo of Effect

Effect

Related news:

News photo

Proton 10.0-2 Beta Delivers More Enhancements For Linux Gaming

News photo

Pick up this Anker power bank that can charge a laptop while it's 30 percent off

News photo

UK households could face VPN 'ban' after use skyrockets following Online Safety Bill