Summary
Since the introduction of age verification rules under the UK's Online Safety Act, VPN apps have become very popular in the UK. People are likely using these apps to bypass age checks on websites that now require users to verify their age.
Key Facts
- VPN apps are now among the most downloaded in the UK on Apple's App Store.
- Sites like PornHub and Reddit have started requiring age verification as part of the Online Safety Act.
- VPNs can hide a user's real location and let them access the internet as if they are in a different country.
- There has been an 1,800% increase in downloads of one VPN app since the new rules started.
- Experts warn that free VPNs might have security and privacy risks and could expose users to data harvesting.
- Ofcom states that platforms should not allow content that promotes using VPNs to avoid age checks.
- It's illegal for platforms to encourage bypassing age verification using VPNs.
- Many VPN apps declare that they are not intended for children and claim to keep users' data private and secure.
