EU Faces New Hurdle in Child Safety Laws: VPNs Surging as Age-Verification WorkaroundsLast month, the European Union (EU) announced ambitious plans to mandate age-verification applications for online services, aiming to shield minors from inappropriate content. However, this regulatory push has met a familiar digital adversary. The European Parliamentary Research Service (EPRS) recently issued a statement highlighting a significant loophole: the soaring use of VPNs (Virtual Private Networks) to bypass these checks.
The Enforcement Gap
While the EPRS has identified VPNs as a primary tool for evasion, they have yet to propose a formal solution. One potential strategy currently under discussion is implementing a secondary layer of age verification specifically for VPN providers a controversial approach already being pioneered in the United Kingdom.
The "Proton Effect"
Evidence of this trend is already clear. Proton VPN, a major industry player, reported a staggering 1,400% spike in installations in the UK immediately following the enactment of local age-verification laws. This data serves as a stark preview of the challenges the EU will face as it tries to close the gap between digital safety and internet freedom.
Blocking VPNs or verifying age on VPNs isn't easy. Technically, governments might need to use DPI technology to detect VPN traffic, which is often criticized as a serious privacy violation and could also conflict with Europe's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
Instead of using facial photos or identification cards, Europe is considering the EU Digital Identity Wallet, a digital identification system that allows users to verify their age (over 18) without revealing their real name or exact date of birth (zero-knowledge proof). This might be the most balanced solution between children's safety and adult privacy.
Forcing age verification could also have a backfire, pushing young people to use unreliable VPNs or "free VPNs," which often secretly collect user data or embed malware, putting children at risk in other ways besides just accessing inappropriate content.
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Source: Gizmodo
EU Faces New Hurdle in Child Safety Laws: VPNs Surging as Age-Verification WorkaroundsLast month, the European Union (EU) announced ambitious plans to mandate age-verification applications for online services, aiming to shield minors from inappropriate content. However, this regulatory push has met a familiar digital adversary. The European Parliamentary Research Service (EPRS) recently issued a statement highlighting a significant loophole: the soaring use of VPNs (Virtual Private Networks) to bypass these checks.
The Enforcement Gap
While the EPRS has identified VPNs as a primary tool for evasion, they have yet to propose a formal solution. One potential strategy currently under discussion is implementing a secondary layer of age verification specifically for VPN providers a controversial approach already being pioneered in the United Kingdom.
The "Proton Effect"
Evidence of this trend is already clear. Proton VPN, a major industry player, reported a staggering 1,400% spike in installations in the UK immediately following the enactment of local age-verification laws. This data serves as a stark preview of the challenges the EU will face as it tries to close the gap between digital safety and internet freedom.
Blocking VPNs or verifying age on VPNs isn't easy. Technically, governments might need to use DPI technology to detect VPN traffic, which is often criticized as a serious privacy violation and could also conflict with Europe's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
Instead of using facial photos or identification cards, Europe is considering the EU Digital Identity Wallet, a digital identification system that allows users to verify their age (over 18) without revealing their real name or exact date of birth (zero-knowledge proof). This might be the most balanced solution between children's safety and adult privacy.
Forcing age verification could also have a backfire, pushing young people to use unreliable VPNs or "free VPNs," which often secretly collect user data or embed malware, putting children at risk in other ways besides just accessing inappropriate content.
Instagram New Profile Label Automatically Tags All AI Content.
Source: Gizmodo
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