ExpressVPN and the Internet Watch Foundation have banded together to restrict internet access to domains with known child sexual abuse material, the companies announced on Wednesday.
ExpressVPN developed a new technology, OpenBoundary, that will “enable network operators to restrict access to verified criminal domains safely and transparently,” ExpressVPN stated in a press release. OpenBoundary restricts access to all child sexual abuse domains that have been identified and verified by the IWF.
ExpressVPN will use OpenBoundary along with CyberGhost VPN and Private Internet Access, according to the press release. The company is also making OpenBoundary an open-source tool, meaning that anyone can view and use it.
“By doing so, the company is inviting other VPN providers, ISPs and cloud platforms to adopt similar safeguards and raise the standard for privacy-preserving infrastructure,” ExpressVPN said.
A VPN, or virtual private network, hides a user’s information, and Express VPN will continue to do that. However, because VPNs mask identity and location, they can also be misused by individuals who want to access illegal content anonymously. If a person using ExpressVPN, or any service that utilizes OpenBoundary, attempts to access a domain with illegal material that has been added to the list of blocked providers, they will be prevented from doing so.
“OpenBoundary isn’t a breakthrough in cryptography. It’s a simple, well-scoped DNS control used to block access to known child sexual abuse material sites,” Peter Membrey, chief research officer at ExpressVPN, said in the release. “No broken encryption. No traffic inspection. No monitoring. It’s deliberately straightforward, because privacy systems lose trust when they become opaque.”
OpenBoundary is part of the company’s Not on My Network initiative, which it created to find new ways to “strengthen both privacy and protection, leading the industry toward a safer digital environment for families and children.”
The company isn’t claiming to solve online exploitation.
“That’s far bigger than any single technical measure,” Membrey said. “What we are saying is that privacy infrastructure does not have to carry everything indiscriminately. With clear boundaries and careful engineering, it’s possible to act without weakening the protections millions of people rely on.”
