TZUTC: -0500
MSGID: 1909.consprcy@1:2320/105 2dbd2a5a
PID: Synchronet 3.21a-Linux master/123f2d28a Jul 12 2025 GCC 12.2.0
TID: SBBSecho 3.28-Linux master/123f2d28a Jul 12 2025 GCC 12.2.0
BBSID: CAPCITY2
CHRS: ASCII 1
FORMAT: flowed
Age verification changed the internet in 2025  here's what it means for your
privacy in 2026

Date:
Fri, 02 Jan 2026 10:50:54 +0000

Description:
We spoke with leading privacy experts and VPN industry analysts to discuss 
age verification online and explore why your privacy could be at risk in 2026.

FULL STORY

Half of the US population now needs to verify their age to view certain
content online. Meanwhile, people in the UK, Europe, and Australia are
increasingly required to scan passports or undergo facial age estimation to
access adult sites, social media, and even search engines. 

With more countries set to join the fold in 2026, the era of anonymous
browsing is rapidly declining. 

 Mandatory age verification is a response to an online world that many
governments believe has become too dangerous for children. But experts are
sounding the alarm, warning that these solutions may do more harm than good. 

Digital rights groups say that age verification measures compromise privacy,
weaken data security, and invite unprecedented levels of censorship  concerns
that are already driving a surge in people turning to the best VPN services 
to protect their data. 

While the momentum has been building for years, 2025 was the year the 
internet became fully age-gated as major laws moved from the statute books to
browsers. I spoke with leading privacy experts and industry analysts to
understand the fallout of this monumental shift  and discuss what to expect 
in 2026.

Why was 2025 a decisive year? 

The first turning point was the UKs implementation of the Online Safety Act.
In July, the laws child safety duties officially came into force, requiring
platforms to deploy age verification measures to block minors from harmful
material online. 

This was followed by the Australian governments implementation of a social
media ban for under-16s . As the first of its kind, the Australian model
sparked a global debate on digital privacy and youth protection. 

The whole world is now watching these developments, with countries like
Denmark and Malaysia already planning to introduce similar restrictions in
2026.

The privacy conundrum

Citizens, technologists, and politicians alike agree on the importance of
shielding minors from online harm. But they frequently disagree on how this
should be achieved. 

Laura Tyrylyte, Head of Public Relations at Nord Security (the company behind
NordVPN ), is supportive of government initiatives working to improve child
safety online "provided they don't have negative effects on privacy and
security", she told TechRadar. 

The risk to data privacy is the primary point of contention, because laws
often require all internet users  not just minors  to upload sensitive
documents like passports or banking details to third-party systems, or 
undergo biometric face scans. Critics argue that once this data is collected,
it becomes a permanent honeypot for hackers. 

These concerns aren't just theoretical. In October 2025, a breach of a
third-party vendor used by Discord led to the exposure of approximately 
70,000 government ID photos . 

Molly Buckley, an activist at the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), 
thinks age verification is not the solution to improving child safety online
that regulators think it is. 

"The answer is not to ask us to pass even more of our most sensitive, most
valuable data over to big tech companies, whom we say we don't trust in the
first place," Buckley said.

"Young people don't need bans" 

Beyond privacy and security, digital rights groups are also sounding the 
alarm over the chilling effect age verification laws have on freedom of
speech. 

In the UK, for instance, the Online Safety Act has already forced platforms
like Reddit to implement age-gating for various communities, including those
focused on mental health support or news from conflict zones . Meanwhile, in
Australia teenagers under 16 are now legally cut off from social media
entirely. 

According to John Perrino, Senior Policy and Advocacy Expert at the Internet
Society, the ultimate goal should be to keep children safe on the internet,
not keep them off the internet. 

"Young people need help and safeguards, not a ban that cuts off existing
connections and support networks," Perrino said. 

Molly Buckley shares this concern, noting that it's misguided to treat all
minors the same. "We're treating 17-year-olds and 4-year-olds the same across
the board, and we know that that's not gonna work for online safety," Buckley
said.

VPN: from a security to circumvention tool

As the internet becomes increasingly restricted, the use of virtual private
network (VPN) apps has spiked as users seek a quick way to protect their 
data. While public awareness of this technology has grown, lawmakers are
increasingly viewing VPNs as a loophole to be closed rather than a vital
security tool. 

In the US, lawmakers in Wisconsin and Michigan have tabled age verification
proposals that include an obligation to block VPN traffic. Meanwhile, some 
MPs in the UK are also pushing for stricter rules on VPN usage , while the
regulator Ofcom has confirmed to TechRadar that it is currently monitoring 
VPN use . 

According to Tyrylyte,  this trend stems from a dangerous misconception that
views VPNs purely as circumvention tools. "VPN services are fundamentally
privacy and security tools, and if such thinking leads to limiting access to
VPN services, it will have a significant negative impact on digital freedom
and cybersecurity," she warns. 

Christine Bannan, US Public Policy Manager at Proton (the company behind
Proton VPN ) is also worried about this increasingly widespread
misunderstanding: "A few years ago, our policy work barely touched VPNs; 
today its a major focus. The irony is that the same technology that helps
activists bypass authoritarian censorship is now being examined as a way to
dodge ageverification rules that democracies actually support."

What's next for 2026?

It seems certain that age verification is here to stay. And with it, experts
warn our privacy online could be dramatically reshaped. 

"Mandatory age verification is a step towards mandatory authentication for
online access," said Robin Wilton, the Internet Society's Senior Director for
Internet Trust.

In response, major industry players like Proton and NordVPN have committed to
monitoring these implementations closely in the coming 12 months. At the
moment, they are open to discussing the best way to ensure people's safety
online while protecting privacy with regulators. 

And while technologists focus on privacy-preserving tools and infrastructure,
digital rights groups are preparing for a long legal battle over the
implications for free speech. 

"We're at a really important moment to push back against the misconceptions
about these bills," Buckley told TechRadar. "I'm hoping we can keep back the
tide enough that anonymity online isn't completely destroyed." 

We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. 
For example:1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms
and conditions of that service).2. Protecting your online security and
strengthening your online privacy when abroad.We do not support or condone
using a VPN service to break the law or conduct illegal activities. Consuming
pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future
Publishing. 

======================================================================
Link to news story:
https://www.techradar.com/vpn/vpn-privacy-security/age-verification-changed-th
e-internet-in-2025-heres-what-it-means-for-your-privacy-in-2026
$$
--- SBBSecho 3.28-Linux
 * Origin: Capitol City Online (1:2320/105)
SEEN-BY: 105/81 106/201 128/187 129/14 305 153/7715 154/110 218/700
SEEN-BY: 226/30 227/114 229/110 134 206 275 300 307 317 400 426 428
SEEN-BY: 229/470 664 700 705 266/512 291/111 320/219 322/757 342/200
SEEN-BY: 396/45 460/58 633/280 712/848 902/26 2320/0 105 304 3634/12
SEEN-BY: 5075/35
PATH: 2320/105 229/426