Could The UK Ban VPNs?

As I’ve mentioned already in other articles, the UK Online Safety Act (OSA) now requires UK visitors to certain websites, such as Reddit, Spotify, and Wikipedia, to verify their age with a selfie or other means of ID. It’s worth noting here that national ID cards are not mandatory in the UK, so many people use their passport or driving license for such purposes. However, since most UK citizens view age verification as both intrusive and an invasion of privacy, many have turned to VPNs to hide their actual location. This has led to a massive surge in VPN sales as well as whispers of a possible VPN ban in the UK. The free VPN, Proton, has seen a huge demand for downloads, for example.

On the other hand, many UK members of parliament use VPNs and put the subscription costs on their expenses, which the taxpayer ultimately pays.

“For everybody who’s out there thinking of using VPNs, let me just say to you directly: verifying your age keeps a child safe, keeps children safe in our country. So, let’s just not try and find a way around,” he (Peter Kyle) told the BBC.

Banning VPNs is “not on the cards,” he added. “I just want to urge caution in how people are using them.”