Yet politicians in the UK pushed ahead and enacted one of the most contentious age verification mandates that we’ve seen. The case of safety online is not solved through technology alone. Here are five reasons why:Age Verification Systems Lead to Less PrivacyMandatory age verification tools are surveillance systems that threaten everyone’s rights to speech and privacy. Some politicians in the Labour Party argued that a ban on VPNs will be essential to prevent users circumventing age verification checks. Alongside increased VPN usage, a petition calling for the repeal of the Online Safety Act recently hit more than 400,000 signatures.

Source: The Times August 05, 2025 12:38 UTC