VPN use surges in UK as new online safety rules kick in

British uptake of internet services that disguise a user’s online location has surged after new age verification rules came into force in the UK, threatening to undermine government efforts to protect children online.

Thousands of sites offering adult content, as well as popular social media apps including X, Reddit and TikTok, have introduced new “age assurance” systems and controls for UK users since Friday, to comply with the Online Safety Act.

Media regulator Ofcom said it was starting at the weekend to enforce the new age checks, which are designed to prevent children under the age of 18 from accessing sites that carry pornography as well as other “harmful” material that relates to self-harm, eating disorders or suicide.

But to evade the new rules, a growing number of people in the UK are turning to tools more often used by citizens in authoritarian regimes to get around internet censorship.

Apps offering virtual private networks — which route a smartphone or PC’s internet traffic to another country, bypassing local network providers — made up half of the top 10 most popular free apps on the UK’s App Store for iOS this weekend, according to Apple’s rankings.

Proton VPN leapfrogged ChatGPT to become the top free app in the UK, according to Apple’s daily App Store charts, with similar services from developers Super Unlimited and Nord Security also rising over the weekend.

Proton, the Swiss-based company behind the top VPN app, said it had experienced a more than 1,800 per cent increase in daily sign-ups from UK-based users after new age verification rules took effect on Friday.

Nord said there had been a 1,000 per cent increase in UK purchases of VPN subscriptions since before the rules took effect.

“We would normally associate these large spikes in sign-ups with major civil unrest,” Proton said. “This clearly shows that adults are concerned about the impact universal age verification laws will have on their privacy.”

VPNs are routinely used by individuals in China, Turkey and Iran to bypass government content firewalls.

Data from Google Trends also shows a significant increase in search queries for VPNs in the UK this weekend, with up to 10 times more people looking for VPNs at peak times.

VPNs are already widely used by people who want to watch online streaming services that are available only in other countries or to connect to a company network securely. However, cyber security experts warn that some unscrupulous VPN providers can use their services to collect users’ data, even as they promise to guarantee privacy, making it vital that consumers choose a reputable provider.

“This is what happens when people who haven’t got a clue about technology pass legislation,” Anthony Rose, a UK-based tech entrepreneur who helped to create BBC iPlayer, the corporation’s streaming service, said in a social media post.

Rose said it took “less than five minutes to install a VPN” and that British people had become familiar with using them to access the iPlayer outside the UK. “That’s the beauty of VPNs. You can be anywhere you like, and anytime a government comes up with stupid legislation like this, you just turn on your VPN and outwit them,” he added.

The UK is one of the first democratic countries to impose such strict content controls on tech companies, making it a test case that will be monitored around the world.

Several US states and Australia have also sought to impose age-based restrictions for online services. Online platforms found in breach of the new UK rules face penalties of up to £18mn or 10 per cent of global turnover, whichever is greater.

Ofcom said on Sunday that age checks were not a “silver bullet” but added: “Until now, kids could easily stumble across porn and other online content that’s harmful to them without even looking for it. Age checks will help prevent that. We’re now assessing compliance to make sure platforms have them in place, and companies that fall short should expect to face enforcement action.”

Ahead of the new regulations, Oliver Griffiths, Ofcom group director for online safety, told the Financial Times that the watchdog’s age verification rules would not be “foolproof” for a “determined teenager”, just as under-18s are sometimes able to buy alcohol in UK stores.

“There are opportunities for people to use VPNs, but this is part of a broader system approach,” he said.

However, opposition to the new rules has grown in recent days. A petition submitted through the UK parliament website demanding that the Online Safety Act be repealed has attracted more than 280,000 signatures, with the vast majority submitted in the past week.

Ministers must respond to a petition, and parliament has to consider its topic for a debate, if signatures surpass 100,000.

The Online Safety Act — which was passed under the previous Conservative government in 2023 but is being introduced in phases — has become a potential flashpoint with the US. Trump administration officials oppose anything they see as a restriction on freedom of speech.

However, UK technology secretary Peter Kyle has insisted that the rules are not up for negotiation as London looks to secure a new digital trade partnership with Washington.

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology said it expected the new rules to be “robustly implemented by tech companies”.

“Platforms have clear legal obligations and must actively prevent children from circumventing safety measures, including blocking content that promotes VPNs or other workarounds targeting young users,” it added.

Additional reporting by Daniel Thomas

Letter in response to this article:

Unintended consequences of new online safety rules / From Michael Hobbs, Founder, isAI Tech Ltd, London N13, UK