UK households could face VPN 'ban' after use skyrockets following Online Safety Bill

Comments

• limer@lemmy.ml ⁨4⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

  It’s like watching an online version of Brexit, without the referendum

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• AmbiguousProps@lemmy.today ⁨3⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

  So surely no corporations or governments will be using them to remote in, right?

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• myrmidex@belgae.social ⁨3⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

  One app maker told the BBC it had seen an 1,800% spike in downloads. “Many of these free VPNs are riddled with issues,” said Daniel Card, a cyber-security expert with the Chartered Institute for IT (BCS).

  “Some act as traffic brokers for data harvesting firms, others are so poorly built they expose users to attacks.”

  He told the BBC despite posing a range of potential privacy risks, such apps “end up in the hands of kids trying to watch age-restricted content”, or adults “trying to get round blocks”.

  Ah yes, there it is: won’t anyone think of the children. I expected that argument higher up.

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• monogram@feddit.nl ⁨3⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

  Here’s a free vpn that will keep you safe enough to watch porn on: protonvpn.com

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  • Psythik@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

    And if you don’t want to use a sketchy free VPN: mullvad.net/en/vpn

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• possiblylinux127@lemmy.zip ⁨3⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

  The UK politicians who thought this was a good idea deserve a “ban”

  Seriously, how did they not see this coming?

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• AllNewTypeFace@leminal.space ⁨3⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

  UK: from the EU to the Uzbekistan of the Atlantic.

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  • msage@programming.dev ⁨3⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

    EU is working on that, too

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• doublepepperoni@hexbear.net ⁨3⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

  yeonmi-park in china, the ccp will punish you if you go around their internet firewall

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• IcyToes@sh.itjust.works ⁨3⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

  what’s with the clickbait headline.

  Linked source says opposite

  Headline “Labour rules out VPN ban in UK but issues warning to UK households”

  Byline “Labour won’t ban the use of Virtual Private Networks”

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• baggins@beehaw.org ⁨3⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

  I can’t see anywhere in the article that says they may be ‘banned’.

  They can try though. They can also try and collect water in a sieve.

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  • towerful@programming.dev ⁨3⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

    Eh, a back bencher has called for a report on how VPNs interfere with ofcoms ability to enforce/regulate the online safety act within 6 months.

    independent.co.uk/…/vpns-online-safety-bill-labou…

    "My new clause 54 would require the Secretary of State to publish, within six months of the Bill’s passage, a report on the effect of VPN use on Ofcom’s ability to enforce the requirements under clause 112.

    “If VPNs cause significant issues, the Government must identify those issues and find solutions, rather than avoiding difficult problems.”

    The likely conclusion of that report is that “VPNs circumvent the age verification requirement, so circumvent the OSA, so VPNs must be banned”

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    • baggins@beehaw.org ⁨3⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

      Yes, I read that. ‘Likely conclusion’ does not equal a ban though.

      I’m just being a bit pedantic about the headline - this whole thing is crappy (and unworkable) enough as it is, without jumping to conclusions.

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    • possiblylinux127@lemmy.zip ⁨3⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

      Somehow I don’t see this being a popular move

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• phoenixz@lemmy.ca ⁨3⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

  OOOHH yeah, let’s ban a standardized security system because we’re idiots

  Politicians always look like that kid with a propellor cap on their head

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• Abrinoxus@lemmy.today ⁨3⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

  “Keep calm and give up all and everything for your own safety”

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• vivalapivo@lemmy.today ⁨3⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

  Please do it

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  • WolfmanEightySix@piefed.social ⁨3⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

    Why? How is any of this a good thing?

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    • vivalapivo@lemmy.today ⁨3⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

      I just remember how Roscomnadzor started banning everything

      • they’ve banned 127.0.0.1

      • they banned all telegram IP ranges, downing card payments in the country

      • they learned how to ban wireguard in the whole country, effectively ruining a lot of internal contours

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    • ebolapie@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

      Maybe they just really hate the uk

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    • possiblylinux127@lemmy.zip ⁨3⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

      It would make the public hate the politicians who came up with the online safety bill in the first place

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