New UK law mandating ID for age verification triggers massive VPN surge & privacy concerns
The UK's Online Safety Act took effect on July 25, 2025, introducing mandatory age verification for adult websites and platforms to prevent minor access. This law applies not only to UK-based websites but also to international services such as Pornhub, Tinder, and Hinge. Enforcement is led by Ofcom, the communications watchdog, which can fine non-compliant companies up to 10 percent of their global revenue.
Verification now goes beyond simple checkboxes, with platforms asking users to submit credit card details, government-issued IDs, or use facial age estimation. Sites like Reddit, Bluesky, Discord, and Pornhub have already rolled out these checks. Ofcom requires methods to be “strong” and “highly effective” but hasn’t prescribed specific technologies. Meanwhile, many users and privacy advocates have expressed concern over the potential misuse of sensitive personal data now required to verify age.
The law can be easily bypassed using free or paid VPNs to mask UK IP addresses, which lets users avoid identity checks entirely and has driven a massive surge in VPN usage across the UK. Proton VPN alone reported a 1,400% spike in hourly signups on launch day, and concerns are growing over enforcement gaps and the privacy risks tied to sensitive data collection. If you're affected by the new law, there are plenty of alternatives out there beyond Proton VPN, such as Mullvad, Windscribe, and many others available on our Proton VPN alternatives page.
Our take: A petition to repeal the new age verification law has already gathered more than double the 100,000 signatures required for Parliament to consider it for debate. A date for the debate is expected to be set in the coming days.
- VPN Service
- Freemium • Open Source
Related news
External links
- Enforcement Programme to protect children from encountering pornographic content through the use of age assuranceOfcom • Official source
- ProtonVPN's Thread on X@ProtonVPN on X • Official source
- What are the new UK online safety rules and how will age checks on adult content be enforced?the Guardian
- VPN demand skyrockets in the UK as age verification checks are enforcedTechRadar
- The UK’s new age-gating rules are easy to bypassThe Verge
- Proton VPN signups surge 1,400% as UK age verification law beginsMashable
-
UK Online Safety Act: VPN Surge Undermines Age VerificationWebProNews
Comments
I think we need to buy the websurfing habits of politicians and release it publicly. I doubt they are using adblockers too stupid for that so their data is likely able to be accessed like anyone else.
Yeah, so, cybersecurity is important but my dear government gets inspiration from the EU. However, their take is always half-baked, and never technically assessed or even impact assessed. Only to forcefully push through under the guise of the greater good. I've seen quite a few petitions raised against these daft implementations but the government still manages to backhand them (like the games one).
The dire cybersecurity climate, with so many recent high-profile data breaches, means it is not the right time to force age verification systems like that, until we can find better alternatives that can be resilient to said cybersecurity climate. And I imagine AI is going to make credential theft by social engineering a lot easier, increasing the risk of more high-profile data breaches.
Any time is not the right time. It is an invasion of privacy. The government has no place in people's homes.
Its always "Think of the children" while the government looks at adults and try to regulate and censor what adults can view, share and say.
No one ever wants to admit its bad parenting, gross government mismanagement and overreach, or wanting to police the public's ideas and thoughts.
Goverment issues a stupid law to block internet content -- People uses VPN to bypass that shit -- Repeat.
Heard that they are looking into VPNs and how to prevent VPN bypass
Man, they really want a coup d'etat, huh? You can't do this to people and expect they'll remain silent.
About time. Adult content should always be locked behind some kind of wall. Our kids are screwed up enough by the general internet.
Not the way to do it. I think it should be treated as obscene speech, but this is an obvious power grab. What better way to find dissenters?
Perhaps, there's probably a compromise somewhere that works.
Also, six thumbs down, lol. Some of y'all definitely have a copy of It with the ending pages stuck together.
And apparently you are fine with Big Brother telling people what they can and can't look at on internet. SMH.
BTW, I gave a thumbs down and I dislike looking at porn. So there.
So, what, parenting doesn't matter? It should be the parents taking responsibility. We shouldn't rely completely on our government to parent for us.
It's simpler than that, do you want your kids not to see pornography, talk to them about sex, talk to them about what is real what is not. Spend time with them when they are on the internet, guide them, ... in short BE A PARENT! you kid responsibility is first and last you, not the software of a porn company
To many shit parents who have deluded themselves into thinking that government should be the parent, while the government views it as an opportunity to censor the public further.