UK Considering VPN "ID Checks"

The UK government, under Prime Minister Keir Starmer, is considering new measures to enforce age limits set by the Online Safety Act, including requiring ID checks for VPN access. This proposal, aimed at preventing under-18s from bypassing age restrictions on services and functionalities, raises significant privacy concerns as it would undermine the core purpose of VPNs, which is to protect user identity and privacy. The potential policy shift would mark a substantial state intervention into online anonymity, drawing comparisons to authoritarian regimes where encryption is heavily regulated.