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From age verification to weakening encryption: 2025 saw a decline in online
anonymity everywhere

Date:
Fri, 14 Nov 2025 10:56:16 +0000

Description:
Internet freedoms have worsened for the 15th consecutive year, according to
Freedom House's new report. And VPNs are increasingly a target.

FULL STORY

Internet freedoms continued to decline in 2025, marking the 15th consecutive
year of worsening conditions, according to Freedom House's new report. 

 The report reveals that the internet is now more controlled than ever 
before, with "an increasing number of the worlds governments are placing
constraints on online anonymity," Freedom House noted. 

In this context, the use of censorship-resistant technology, including the
best VPN services, has become crucial. At the same time, though, VPN use is
increasingly under attack. 

That's why, in a report released last June , Freedom House and the European
University Institute investigated restrictions on censorship circumvention
tools. 

"We found that out of the 72 Freedom on the Net countries, authorities in 21
have sought to block access to VPNs or censorship circumvention tools within
the past five years," confirmed Freedom House's Senior Research Analyst, Kian
Vesteinsson.

Online anonymity is under attack

In this year's Freedom of the Net report, researchers focused on the global
decline in online anonymity. 

It's concerning, according to Freedom House, because "restrictions on
anonymity pose a direct threat to online privacy, free expression, and access
to information, and could further carve up the global internet based on
varying domestic rules for participation." 

One particularly significant constraint includes moves by countries like the
UK, multiple US states, Italy, and (soon) Australia to enforce mandatory age
verification . 

While these laws are meant to protect children online, experts have warned
against the unintended consequences for people's data privacy, security, and
free speech. 

A hack of the third-party services Discord uses for age verification in the 
UK resulted in the breach of 70,000 users' identity documents, serving as a
stark reminder of the security risks that come with age checks. 

"This risk is already present and in front of us," said Vesteinsson.
"Policymakers should instead seek options that bridge child protection and
fundamental rights." 

Vietnam and China went even further, enacting legislation that requires
identity verification just to post content on social media. 

During the report's coverage period (June 2024-May 2025), Freedom House also
found that "governments from across the democratic spectrum placed limits on
tools that make online privacy possible." 

Measures include the UK serving an encryption backdoor order to Apple , a
demand that provoked the Big Tech giant to remove its advanced end-to-end
encryption protection for iCloud. 

Globally, between January 2020 and March 2025, people in 17 of the 72
countries covered by the Freedom on the Net report experienced blocks on
end-to-end encrypted communication platforms, such as Signal and Proton Mail.

VPNs and encryption -- the main target

Once again, Freedom House has depicted a grim picture of how the internet is
changing. 

 Virtual private networks (VPN) and encrypted messaging apps are becoming
vital tools for promoting digital rights worldwide. However, they are
increasingly the target of governments, including those in Western
democracies. 

For the first time, some US States  including Wisconsin and Michigan  are
considering an obligation to block VPN traffic to make their age verification
law more effective. At the same time, the UK's communications regulator,
Ofcom, confirmed to TechRadar that it had begun monitoring VPN usage. 

Encrypted messaging apps are also increasingly under threat in Europe as
lawmakers keep pushing for the controversial Chat Control bill with a new
proposal , despite continuous backlash from the privacy and cybersecurity
industries. 

"This trend is persistent but not irreversible," said Annie Boyajian,
president of Freedom House. "It is clear, however, that we have reached a
critical moment, and that the deterioration wont stop unless governments and
the private sector do more to protect internet freedom." 

======================================================================
Link to news story:
https://www.techradar.com/vpn/vpn-privacy-security/from-age-verification-to-we
akening-encryption-2025-saw-a-decline-in-online-anonymity-everywhere

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