- Australians are turning to VPNs amid new mandatory age verification rules
- Australian digital rights group says VPN users may be next target
- Restricting VPNs could put the country’s digital security at risk, experts warn
Australian digital rights advocates have warned that VPNs could be next to be phased out as the country begins the second phase of its age verification rollout.
The warning comes as downloads of VPN services surged in local app stores on Monday, as new age restriction rules for adult-only content came into effect.
The rise shows Australians are looking for ways to protect their sensitive identifying data from the risk of what the country’s oldest digital rights organization, Electronic Frontiers Australia, describes as a “Swiss cheese-like age verification” system.
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However, threats to public privacy and security may only be at the starting point.
Speaking to TechRadar, Electronic Frontiers Australia president John Pane maintains that “there is a reasonably strong possibility” that VPNs could be banned or restricted as a result of this. Something that, he warns, would create “extraordinary privacy, security and online security risks” for everyone.
VPN restrictions: what’s at stake?
Virtual private networks (VPNs) are tools used by both individuals and businesses to protect their digital activities in an increasingly data-rich and hacking-prone online world.
VPNs encrypt Internet traffic to make it difficult to track online. They also spoof a user’s real IP address by redirecting their connections through one of the VPN company’s servers, whether in the same country or abroad.
The second feature is the reason why Australian authorities could end up restricting its use.
Instead of security and privacy software, VPNs are increasingly seen as mere circumvention tools that can allow minors to evade mandatory age controls. However, Pane told TechRadar that a ban or restrictions on VPNs would be “a bright red line” that should not be crossed.
It warns that online security is at stake for the entire nation, and outlines the invisible risks to both private citizens and commercial businesses if VPNs are banned.
For kids, Pane explains, this could mean forcing them to use free, unsafe VPN apps. TechRadar recently discovered that more than 75% of all free VPNs on the Android store have questionable personal data practices and that could easily expose thousands of minors to malware and other malicious tracking.
The need to find different solutions could also push young people into even darker corners of the web, further endangering their security and privacy.
As for adults, the millions of people who enter their age verification details on adult content websites are creating a database of sensitive details that would generate a huge reward for any identity thief. We already had a hint of this when Discord’s third party exposed the government-issued ID photos of approximately 70,000 users following a data breach.
Without a VPN to protect this transfer of information, Pane maintains that the problem will only get worse. This is a concern shared by more than 400 scientists who have recently called for a moratorium on mandatory age verification globally until a “scientific consensus” is reached on the benefits and technical feasibility of such laws.
What are the chances of Australia restricting VPN use?
While Australia’s eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant has yet to announce an outright ban or restrictions on VPNs, the possibility was previously raised when these tools began allowing teenagers to easily bypass the country’s under-16 social media ban.
Currently, the eSafety Commission’s guidance is clear: all service providers are expected to take “reasonable steps” to prevent workarounds, including detecting and restricting VPN use.
Surfshark senior product manager Justas Pukys told TechRadar that these expectations are based “on the false notion” that VPNs are simply “workarounds” to age barriers.
“This misunderstanding ignores the fact that VPNs are essential infrastructure for the security and privacy of millions of Australian citizens and businesses,” Pukys said, warning that “attempting to block them is a disproportionate response that treats a critical cybersecurity tool as a loophole, creating far-reaching collateral damage that policymakers have not adequately considered.”
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