UK signups for the virtual private network (VPN) service Proton surged by almost 2,000% in the immediate hours following the enforcement of age restriction requirements under the Online Safety Act.
On 25 July, sites hosting digital content deemed inappropriate for children were required by UK law to enact strict age verification requirements for users in Britain. This includes requiring credit card checks, digital ID submissions or facial age estimation scans.
Critics of the legislation warned that following its enforcement, consumers, whether under age or cautious of submitting their identity to various websites, would flock to VPNs, which allow devices to access the internet via different geographical servers, circumventing regional restrictions.
Proton, a popular VPN provider based in Switzerland told UKTN that “from the early hours of Friday 25th, as soon as the Online Safety Act’s age verification rules came into effect, we saw an immediate spike in signups to Proton VPN in the UK”.
According to David Peterson, general manager of Proton VPN, the service saw an almost immediate “1,400% hourly increase in signups over the baseline”.
Peterson said: “The immediate spike evolved into a sustained +1800% increase for several days and continues to run above our baseline. Similarly, we have seen an increase in enquiries related to Proton’s business products, possibly owing to increased awareness and news coverage relating to online privacy.
“The UK is now one of the countries generating the highest usage for Proton VPN. This clearly shows that adults are concerned about the impact universal age verification laws will have on their privacy.
“The sign up spike in the UK follows a similar pattern as when other governments put in place restrictions on communication or social media platforms, and shouldn’t be surprising since services like Wikipedia, Reddit and X are reportedly being asked to comply with age verification requirements.”
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