VPNs are on the cusp of being restricted in Wisconsin as the state’s age verification bill is being voted on in the Senate.
Part of Wisconsin’s age verification bill seeks to prevent VPN access to certain sites – sites that are deemed to be hosting content seen as “harmful to minors.”
VPN access banned for certain websites
Alongside instructing sites to implement age verification checks, the bill seeks to ban VPN access to websites.
It says sites must “prevent persons from accessing the website from an internet protocol address or internet protocol address range that is linked to or known to be a virtual private network system or provider.”
In short, you won’t be able to visit these sites while connected to a VPN.
As seen in the UK, connecting to a VPN has been touted as a way to bypass age verification checks. Users have reported success by connecting to a VPN server in a country where age verification laws are not in place.
When using a VPN, you’re given one of the VPN’s numerous IP addresses for whatever country you’re in. The bill is saying sites should identify and block VPN IP addresses trying to access content.
How this will be achieved isn’t clear and users on Reddit have questioned the practicality of the bill’s enforcement – should it be passed.
The most private VPNs have obfuscating protocols, designed to evade internet censorship. They blend in with regular internet traffic and combat deep-packet inspection. In theory, utilising these protocols could be seen as a potential way of evading Wisconsin’s law enforcement tactics.
Privacy advocates react
If the bill passes, Wisconsin will become the first US state to “ban” accessing content via VPN.
The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) has warned this move could spark further, more widespread restrictions, and all VPN users would be blocked, not just those coming from Wisconsin.
The bill was described by the EFF as “terrible” and accused Wisconsin lawmakers of “attempting to break VPN access for the entire internet.” The group added that, “the unintended consequences of this provision could far outweigh any theoretical benefit.”
In a tweet published on February 18, 2026, the EFF called on residents of Wisconsin to contact their State Senator and “urge them to vote down this bill.”
The Wisconsin Senate is voting on S.B. 130/A.B. 105, a problematic age verification bill that effectively bans VPN access to certain websites. If you live in Wisconsin, now is the time for you to contact your State Senator and urge them to vote down this bill.…February 18, 2026
Age verification laws in the US
VPNs have been directly named in a handful of these bills but we have seen VPN usage and interest spike across the US, especially in states that have recently passed laws.
Ohio, Missouri, Michigan, and Arizona are some of the latest states to implement age verification, and all saw an uptick in VPN interest. When Arizona’s bill was passed in September 2025, Proton VPN reported a sign-up increase of 450% over the baseline.
Age verification laws require users to hand over sensitive personal information, increasing their risk of suffering the consequences of a data breach. It is no surprise they are turning to VPNs and VPNs are being targeted as a result. These bills pose a threat to our privacy, and wider internet freedoms.
We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example: 1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service). 2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad. We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.
