Fears grow that age verification coming to VPNs as a British research firm labels them a 'loophole' — one app developer saw downloads surge by 1,800% in just the first month after the UK's Online Safety Act took effect

A European research paper highlights concerns that VPNs are being used as a loophole to bypass age verification laws for accessing adult content, with VPN downloads surging after enforcement in the UK and U.S. states. The paper suggests restricting VPN services to adults only, but acknowledges the challenge of preventing minors from bypassing age-assurance methods. Efforts to target VPN use in age-verification laws, like in Utah, face technical limitations. Some tech companies have opposed proposals to mandate age verification for VPN access, citing concerns about undermining the open internet. Additionally, the EU's own age verification technology recently failed a security test, raising further privacy and security issues.