US EditionBrits Are Turning From VPNs to Proxies to Resist Age Verification – but Their Data May Be at Risk
Age verification rules caused a 47% drop in Pornhub traffic and a 1400% increase in VPN subscriptions as users seek ways to bypass restrictions, data shows.
- On August 13, 2025, London witnessed a seismic shift as the Online Safety Act required major adult websites to implement age checks since July 25.
- After the Online Safety Act , lawmakers require all adult sites to verify users are over 18, starting from July 25.
- Amid new verification rules, VPN subscriptions in the United Kingdom surged 1400%, and Pornhub visits plunged by 47% two weeks after July 24.
- Pointing to potential censorship, critics warn that age verification checks pose significant privacy and security risks for undocumented individuals.
- Experts argue the United Kingdom’s experience with the Online Safety Act is being closely watched globally, as other countries face similar challenges balancing child protection with privacy and free speech rights.
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World NEWS LiveBrits are turning from VPNs to proxies to resist age verification – but their data may be at risk
After a spike in VPN usage, proxy provider Decodo reported a sharp rise in proxy users coming from the UK, as the new Online Safety Act's age checks are enforced.
UK Traffic to Popular Adult Sites Declines Following Introduction of Age Verification
Since the implementation of stringent age verification measures last month, visits to popular adult websites in the UK have seen a significant decline, according to recent data. Daily traffic to PornHub, the most frequented porn site in the UK, dropped by 47%, from 3.6 million on July 24 to 1.9 million on August 8. Data [...] The post UK Traffic to Popular Adult Sites Declines Following Introduction of Age Verification | Online Safety appeared f…
New rules send millions of users away from Pornhub, Xvideos and xHamster – and cause VPN use to explode
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