A new set of laws in Australia requiring adult websites and app stores to age-restrict content for those under 18, and requiring AI companies to restrict chatbot offerings from displaying certain types of sensitive or adult content to minors, is apparently driving many to download Virtual Private Network apps there.
Major adult sites have closed their virtual doors to those who aren't age-confirmed in Australia, and these changes follow a nationwide ban on social media use by teenagers and young children that went into effect in December.
According to reports from Reuters, The Guardian and others, in response to the bans, downloads of VPN-related apps, which people can use to circumvent location-based restrictions, are sharply on the rise. According to Reuters, three of the 15 most downloaded free iPhone apps in the country were VPN-related as the new laws went into effect on Monday.
Lawmakers in some regions, including the US, are well aware that people use VPNs in this way. In states such as Michigan and Wisconsin, laws are being proposed to limit or outright ban VPN use. Wisconsin's proposed law would require adult sites to block VPN traffic, while Michigan's proposal would ban VPN use entirely in the state.
There is also a proposal in England under consideration to ban VPN use by minors. That proposal is currently under review.
VPN users 'go to great lengths' to access their sites
What's happening in Australia follows a "predictable and unsurprising trend" that when access to online content is blocked, whether it's for age verification or other reasons, people will find ways around those restrictions, said the CEO of a managed IT services company.
"People will go to great lengths to stick to their patterns and access their preferred online services," said Brad Lassiter, CEO of LastTech, a New York-based IT firm. "If it's easier to use a VPN and say that they are from a different place rather than send proof of age, many people will choose this option. Importantly, many people who are of an unrestricted age will also choose this option, as anonymity online is highly prized"
Lassiter said that proposals to ban VPN use are not only politically unpopular, but could lead to even more problems. An outright VPN ban, he said, "drives users to less reputable and more risky tools that raise significant questions around privacy and censorship. It also rarely works for the intended purpose."
He said that's especially true because VPNs do provide key security and privacy tools for businesses and personal use.Â
"They have important logistical functions in many professional workflows and use of them should be protected," Lassiter said.