Member

On virtual private networks, the Government will continue to monitor the use of circumvention techniques, including VPNs, and any future interventions will be informed by the evidence. At the moment, there is limited evidence on children’s use of VPNs, and the Government are looking at ways of addressing this evidence gap. There are no current plans to ban the use of VPNs, as there are legitimate reasons for using them. The initial findings indicate that age verification is being implemented effectively. The Age Verification Providers Association reported that an additional 5 million age checks were conducted daily during the first few days after the child safety duties came into effect. If a provider was not complying with its duties by promoting or encouraging VPN usage to bypass age-assurance methods, Ofcom could apply any of its enforcement powers.