2 days ago
Online safety laws behind surge in VPN use
Apps offering VPNs, which are commonly used in authoritarian countries to get around internet censorship, made up half of the top 10 most popular free apps on the UK's App Store this weekend, according to the latest Apple rankings.
Proton VPN overtook ChatGPT to become the top free app in the UK. The Swiss-based company said it had seen a more than 1800 per cent increase in daily sign-ups from UK-based users since Friday.
On X, Proton said: 'We would normally associate these large spikes in sign-ups with major civil unrest. This clearly shows that adults are concerned about the impact universal age verification laws will have on their privacy'.
Nord, another VPN provider, said there had been a 1000 per cent increase in UK purchases of VPN subscriptions since the new rules kicked in.
Data from Google Trends also showed 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.
Rules 'not foolproof' for teenagers
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.
Mr Griffiths said: 'There are opportunities for people to use VPNs, but this is part of a broader system approach.'
Opposition to the new rules has grown in recent days, with a petition submitted through the UK Parliament website attracting more than 280,000 signatures.
The petition demands that the Online Safety Act be withdrawn, with a surge of signatures being added to the document in the past week.
Under the Online Safety Act, websites that ignore the new laws could be fined up to £18m, or 10 per cent of worldwide revenue.
