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The UK’s technology secretary urged citizens to think twice before using virtual private networks (VPNs) to bypass the country’s new oppressive online digital ID checks, framing it as a matter of child safety. His comments have landed awkwardly, given that many MPs, including senior ministers, rely on taxpayer-funded VPN subscriptions themselves.
Speaking on BBC Breakfast, Peter Kyle warned: “For everybody out there who’s thinking about using VPNs, let me say this to you directly: verifying your age keeps a child safe. Keeps children safe in our country, so let’s just not try to find a way around.”
Politico reported that official spending records show parliamentarians across party lines have been billing the public for commercial VPN services.
Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds charged taxpayers for a two-year NordVPN subscription in April 2024.
Labour MP Sarah Champion, who in 2022 pressed the government to investigate whether teenage VPN use could undermine online safety rules, also has a subscription on record.
The government says it has no intention of outlawing VPNs but admits it is monitoring how young people use them. This comes after a sharp increase in downloads following the rollout of mandatory digital ID checks under the new censorship law, the Online Safety Act.
For security experts, VPNs are not a subversive tool but a vital one.
The real danger lies in the age verification industry itself.
Despite stressing that banning VPNs is “not on the cards,” Kyle has urged caution, telling Good Morning Britain viewers: “Do the right thing… Because every time you prove your age, you keep children safe across Britain. It is a minority of people who are trying to use the VPNs. I urge them not to.”
A government spokesperson said platforms are being told to block material that promotes VPNs to children, while conceding there are many legitimate reasons for adults to use them.
Kyle has also been using his media appearances to attack political opponents of the Online Safety Act, including Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, who has vowed to scrap it. Farage claims the law threatens free expression and fuels state surveillance. Kyle responded by accusing him of siding with those who endanger children.
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Author: Cindy Harper
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