US Edition
Enforced Age Checks on Adult Sites Drive Record VPN Use
UNITED KINGDOM, JUL 29 – Proton VPN reported a 1,400% surge in UK sign-ups after age verification rules began under the Online Safety Act, highlighting privacy concerns amid efforts to protect minors online.
- Earlier this month, the European Commission launched an age verification app prototype to align with the EU's Digital Services Act, guiding EU-wide online age checks.
- Requiring identity proof, UK web users as of last week must verify they are over 18 to access adult content after the Act took effect on July 25th.
- Proton VPN reported a more than 1,400% increase in sign-ups on Friday, and Proton added, `We expect to see further increases over the coming days`.
- Facing the law, X and Reddit are implementing age verification barriers to restrict minors, with TikTok and Pornhub also rolling out 'age assurance' systems to comply.
- Privacy advocates caution that the law omits details risking exposure of ID uploads and financial data, Mariana Olaizola Rosenblat warned, 'In some cases, the systems employed are so flawed that they fail to protect minors while also excluding adults who should have lawful access.
127 Articles
127 Articles
The U.K.’s Online Safety Act has sparked an explosion in VPN downloads
It’s a tough time to be an adult online in the U.K. right now. Last week’s passage of the Online Safety Act, a law aimed at shielding children from inappropriate (read: adult) content, has brought about a version of the internet that feels more like being back in school. You now essentially need a hall pass, in the form of official ID or a live selfie, to go almost anywhere. The U.K. government clearly aimed the Online Safety Act at restricting …
UK Users Need to Post Selfie or Photo ID to View Reddit's r/IsraelCrimes, r/UkraineWarFootage
Several Reddit communities dedicated to sharing news and media from conflicts around the world now require users in the UK to submit a photo ID or selfie in order to prove they are old enough to view “mature” content. The new age verification system is a result of the recently enacted Online Safety Act in the UK, which aims to protect children from certain types of content and hold platforms like Reddit accountable if they don’t. Some of the Red…
Death Stranding 2 can now be used to bypass age verification after Online Safety Act: here's how
A recent discovery has revealed that Death Stranding's photo mode can easily bypass the UK’s newly enforced age verification systems, affecting platforms like Reddit and Discord. This follows the implementation of the UK's online safety regulations, which began requiring age checks on various sites from Friday, July 25. According to The Verge, the trick was first brought to light by Dany Sterkhov, who shared the method of using Death Stranding's…
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 53% of the sources are Center
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
