Sudden spike in VPN interest as people bypass new age checks for porn sites

Online searches for virtual private networks (VPNs) have surged in the UK after new age verification rules for porn sites were introduced on Friday.

Data from Google Trends shows that searches for the term ‘VPN’ shot up more than 700 per cent on Friday morning, suggesting that web users are attempting bypass the age checks.

The new verification rules, which are part of the UK’s Online Safety Act, require websites like PornHub, YouPorn and RedTube to check that visitors are over 18 through photo IDs, facial recognition or credit card information.

These checks can be avoided by using a VPN service to spoof the location of a device to a country where such rules are not in place.

“Ofcom may have the power to ‘geo-block’ access to these websites in the U.K., but I have seen little evidence that this cannot be easily circumvented by a basic VPN, which a great many people already use,” Marcus Johnstone, a solicitor who specialises in criminal defence representation for people accused of sexual offences, told The Independent.

“It will also do nothing to restrict access to [fringe] forums, where much online exploitation takes place, or to the dark web, which remains easily available to those with the motivation to look.”

Aylo, which runs popular porn sites like PornHub and YouPorn, described age verification checks as “ineffective, haphazard and dangerous”, jeopardising users’ safety and privacy.

Similar age verification checks introduced across more than a dozen US states saw users migrate to smaller sites that do not follow the law, according to Aylo, which often host unmoderated content.

“Any regulations that require hundreds of thousands of adult sites to collect significant amounts of highly sensitive personal information is putting user safety in jeopardy,” a spokesperson for Aylo told The Independent.

“Moreover, as experience has demonstrated, unless properly enforced, users will simply access non-compliant sites or find other methods of evading these laws.”

Aylo called for age verification checks to take place on the device, rather than through websites and servers.

“The technology to accomplish this exists today. What is required is the political and social will to make it happen,” the spokesperson said.

“We are eager to be part of this solution and are happy to collaborate with government, civil society and tech partners to arrive at an effective device-based age verification solution.”