The VPN panic is only getting started
- After the UK’s Online Safety Act took effect this summer, Brits quickly found ways to bypass its internet age restrictions.
- The most popular method was using virtual private networks (VPNs) to spoof IP addresses from other countries and avoid face scans.
- According to a report by the BBC, five of the top 10 free apps on the iOS App Store were VPNs just days after the law came into effect.
- A study by WindscribeVPN found that VPNs have proven remarkably effective at circumventing the UK’s age checks, allowing users to access restricted content without being detected.
- The simplicity and effectiveness of VPNs as a solution to the Online Safety Act’s restrictions has raised concerns about the law’s ability to enforce its intended purpose.
After the Online Safety Act’s onerous internet age restrictions took effect this summer, it didn’t take long for Brits to get around them. Some methods went viral, like using video game Death Stranding‘s photo mode to bypass face scans. But in the end, the simplest solution won out: VPNs.
Virtual private networks have proven remarkably effective at circumventing the UK’s age checks, letting users spoof IP addresses from other countries so that the checks never appear in the first place. The BBC reported a few days after the law came into effect that five of the top 10 free apps on the iOS App Store were VPNs. WindscribeVPN shared data show …
Read the full story at The Verge.
Q. What was the response of Brits to the Online Safety Act’s internet age restrictions?
A. Brits found ways to bypass the restrictions, with some methods going viral.
Q. How did users bypass face scans under the UK’s age checks?
A. Users used VPNs to spoof IP addresses from other countries, making the checks appear on a different device.
Q. What was reported by the BBC about the top free apps on the iOS App Store after the law came into effect?
A. The BBC reported that five of the top 10 free apps on the iOS App Store were VPNs.
Q. Which method to bypass face scans went viral?
A. Using video game Death Stranding’s photo mode was one of the methods that went viral.
Q. What proved effective in circumventing the UK’s age checks?
A. Virtual private networks (VPNs) proved remarkably effective at bypassing the age checks.
Q. How did VPNs help users avoid the Online Safety Act’s internet age restrictions?
A. VPNs allowed users to spoof IP addresses from other countries, making it appear as though they were accessing the content from a different location.
Q. What was shared by WindscribeVPN regarding the effectiveness of VPNs in bypassing the age checks?
A. WindscribeVPN shared data that showed the effectiveness of VPNs in circumventing the UK’s age checks.