Europeans officials are increasingly turning their attention to virtual private networks (VPNs) as concerns grow that the technology could be used to bypass the European Union’s online age-verification push.
A briefing authored by the European Parliamentary Research Service (EPRS) in January warned that VPN services may represent “a loophole” in existing child-protection legislation as countries introducing stricter online safety rules report surging demand for VPN applications.
“Current age assurance measures — including verification, estimation and self-declaration — are relatively easy for minors to bypass,” the report stated.
The debate over VPNs has intensified in Brussels following moves in the UK and France to enforce mandatory age checks on adult websites. That has prompted major pornography platforms such as Pornhub either to restrict access or face declines in traffic.
“Bypassing geographical restrictions on online content is among the main uses of VPNs,” the EPRS document said.
“In the context of child protection, VPNs are relevant insofar as they allow users to bypass national requirements on online age verification methods on platforms and websites that provide pornographic content and other forms of content deemed harmful to children,” it stated
Speaking during a press conference on the EU’s new digital age-verification app on May 1, EC Executive Vice-President Henna Virkkunen acknowledged that users could circumvent the system through VPNs and suggested that preventing such workarounds could form part of the “next steps” EU policymakers may need to examine.
“VPN must not allow the system to be circumvented,” she said.
The European Parliament think-tank report is designed to give background material for members of the European Parliament (MEPs) considering future policy.
