All UK web users have been hit by new rules this month, which have been introduced in a bid to stop easy access to adult websites. The big change means anyone wanting to access these services must now prove their age and that means handing over personal data – such as bank or phone details – so it can be verified.
The update – which is part of the latest Online Safety Act – is being enforced by UK regulator Ofcom in a bid to stop children being exposed to adult content.
“This is a significant change to how adults in the UK access pornography, and is a key step in helping to protect children from harmful content when they’re online,” Ofcom said in a recent online post.
Research from Ofcom found that eight percent of children aged 8-14 in the UK visited an adult site, and this new block should help to cut down on the number of young people being exposed to inappropriate content.
It’s an important update from Ofcom but it appears to also be having a massive impact on VPN usage.
For those not aware, a Virtual Private Network (VPN) creates a secure, encrypted connection over the internet and also masks your IP address, along with encrypting online traffic.
Along it making life online harder to track, many people also use VPNs to watch online UK content – such as geo-fenced services like Sky Go or BBC iPlayer – as it can make the IP address appear as if devices are at home and not abroad.
A VPN can also do exactly the opposite and trick the browser into thinking you are somewhere else in the world, such as the USA where rules on viewing adult content are not as strict.
Although it’s unclear if the Ofcom changes are forcing more to use a VPN, one service says it has seen an uprecidented rise in users.
Proton VPN says there has been +1400 percent hourly increase over its usual baseline since July 25 – the date that Ofcom introduced the rules.
“At Proton VPN, we regularly see signups spike following major geopolitical events around the world, be they protests, contested elections, or government crackdowns.”
Ofcom’s update is clearly an important step to help keep children safe but there have been concerns from some about the impact of adults having to hand over such sensitive data to companies they don’t know or trust.
“Like many new regulations, the Online Safety Act’s approach to age verification sounds ideal to stamp out content that isn’t intended for younger people,” said Jake Moore, Global Cybersecurity Advisor, ESET.
“However, there are still details of the act that are missing that could even pose significant privacy and security risks by collecting data such as ID uploads and financial information.”
This might be one of the reasons why so many have suddenly decided to switch to a VPN instead.