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   'The UK war on VPNs is an embarrassment'  backlash grows over proposed VPN   
   age-checks   
      
   Date:   
   Wed, 28 Jan 2026 16:32:55 +0000   
      
   Description:   
   Critics are warning against proposals to restrict VPN access  but will the   
   plans actually become law?   
      
   FULL STORY   
      
   Politicians, technologists, and civil society organizations have reacted with   
   dismay following a House of Lords vote to ban children from using VPNs and   
   force providers to deploy age verification measures.    
      
   Wikipedia co-founder Jimmy Wales critizised the move on X, calling the UKs   
   stance an embarrassment. Windscribe CEO Yegor Sak previously described the   
   proposal as the "dumbest possible fix" and warned that age verification for   
   VPNs would set a terrible precedent for digital privacy.    
      
   Public debate peaked on Tuesday morning as online discussions surged, with X   
   recording more than 20,000 posts on the topic within a 24-hour window.    
      
   Labour, Lords & VPN laws    
      
   Last week, the House of Lords voted in favor of an amendment to the Childrens   
   Wellbeing and Schools Bill that would effectively ban VPNs for those under    
   the age of 18.    
      
   The amendment would require commercial VPN providers to implement mandatory   
   age assurance technology to prevent minors from using their services to    
   bypass online safety measures.    
      
   The government  which opposed the amendment  has launched a three-month   
   consultation period on childrens social media that includes consideration   
   about VPN use.   
      
   Political pushback    
      
   While the House of Lords has signaled its intent, the proposal now moves to   
   the House of Commons, where it is expected to face significant opposition    
   from the Labour government.    
      
   If the Commons rejects the change  which it is expected to do   the House of   
   Lords must decide whether to engage in a round of parliamentary "ping-pong"    
   or concede to the government.    
      
   Labour's Lord Knight of Weymouth, who voted against the amendment, told   
   TechRadar he believes it's unlikely that politicians will "die in a ditch"   
   over a VPN ban.    
      
   According to Lord Knight, many politicians are more focused on delivering   
   "something iconic" around child safety rather than navigating the technical   
   minefield of regulating VPNs.    
      
   However, he noted that the regulator Ofcom "needs to do better" at enforcing   
   existing safety laws and agreed with the government that more is required to   
   protect children online, so long as it's done "carefully".   
      
   Civil society's response   
      
   Whether the Lords' proposal becomes law or not, it's clear VPNs are facing   
   more scrutiny now than ever before. And it's not limited to the UK.    
      
   In the United States, Wisconsin lawmakers are currently advancing a bill    
   which would require websites hosting adult content to block access to any    
   user connected via a VPN. Similarly, Michigan legislators have considered   
   legislation that advocates for ISP-level blocking of circumvention tools.    
      
   Evan Greer, Director of US-based Fight for the Future , told TechRadar that   
   policies aimed at discouraging or banning VPN use will "will put human rights   
   activists, journalists, abuse survivors and other vulnerable people in   
   immediate danger."    
      
   Fight for the Future is currently hosting a campaign at DefendVPNs.com that   
   allows users to write to lawmakers directly. The campaign's open letter    
   argues that using the internet safely and privately is a fundamental human   
   right.    
      
   Meanwhile, in the UK, a petition is calling on the government to reject any   
   proposals that would effectively ban VPNs for children.    
      
   The Open Rights Group has also been active raising awareness of the tools and   
   arguing that detecting or banning VPNs is not technically feasible without   
   "extreme level of digital authoritarianism".   
      
   ======================================================================   
   Link to news story:   
   https://www.techradar.com/vpn/vpn-privacy-security/the-uk-war-on-vpns-is-an-em   
   barrassment-backlash-grows-over-proposed-vpn-age-checks   
      
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