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    Plans for new VPN ban in UK to 'close loopholes' online
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    Plans for new VPN ban in UK to ‘close loopholes’ online

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    46 Comments

    1. Non-wholesomechungus on

      If China can’t ban VPNs there is not a chance that our bumbling incompetent government will be able to

    2. PoolRamen on

      Jesus Christ I can’t even play a multiplayer game with Chinese PTW cheaters who DDoS at the drop of a hat without giving up my ID now?

    3. oncemorein2thebeach on

      ‘Close loopholes’ = ‘track everything everyone does online”.

      As usual, ‘for the children’ is just a lame excuse that anyone with half a brain can see through, but when did that stop our government doing things the majority of its citizens didn’t actually want?

    4. CarCroakToday on

      This is idiotic. You don’t even need a VPN to get around the porn ban, almost all porn sites are unblocked and can easily be accessed by anyone without a VPN. Check yourself; google the word “porn” and almost every site is unblocked.

    5. liamxf on

      Disgusting if it happens and means ill never vote labour again. Frankly never been more disappointed in a government that had some hope

    6. lerpo on

      2 masters in Cyber Security here.

      You can’t ban a vpn. China and North Korea can’t ban vpns, we certainly can’t.

      You block vpn protocols, the banking system and remote working, and basically all government departments collapse (and having worked for the government in Cyber a few years back, everyone relies on them lol).

      You aren’t banning vpns. Ignore this stupid headline.

    7. xParesh on

      Anything but ask parents to actually parent.

      Labour has no idea how unpopular their draconian online over reach is.

      They’ll be genuinely be scratching their heads at the backlash.

    9. Themnor on

      I love how your options on the other side of the pond are 1984 or Corporate Fascism.

      And yet it still seems wildly better than our options of Corporate Fascism or Sharia Law Evangelical edition.

    10. Easy-Equal on

      We used to condemn and ridicule China for how undemocratic and draconian this kind of stuff was, How the times change

    11. ash_ninetyone on

      Companies use VPNs to ensure data tunneling for remote workers. Governments use them for that reason. Especially if they’re traveling because having everything over public wifi or whatever, unencrypted is incredibly insecure

      This won’t be practical lol. It’ll crash the economy

      I require a VPN when I’m in Belfast because some of the hotels connect to an ROI IP, and it locks me out from accessing streaming apps because of the geofencing

    12. Mammoth_Park7184 on

      Can’t wait for me not to be able to do my job unless I give my ID to some third party. 

    13. michaelcarnero on

      imagine they send you the police to your home for googling, how to use vpn after being banned.

    15. Helen83FromVillage on

      Let’s wait for censorship supporters to explain to the public why it is so important to hammer free speech (exactly after the well-known files’ publication).

    16. JD6942 on

      Has anyone that has commented actually bothered to read the article. The headline is hardly accurate to the content where it states about banning vpns for under 18s, not a blanket ban

    17. ER-Cryptkeeper on

      China has tried aggressively to ban VPNs for years, and they’re still unsuccessful. Getting around them is a piece of cake and both Chinese residents and visitors do so all the time.

      Is the British Government really telling me they’d be better at it?

    19. jenny_905 on

      Clearly the “ban VPNs” line was distributed to allied media today, LBC were pushing it on the radio as well.

    21. Specialist_Wrap_6257 on

      You can’t ban VPNs lol.

      What will actually happen is that they will use this law to prosecute their enemies and pains in the arses – if it is politically expedient to do so. They’ve done it with the terrorism act, they’ve done it with the protest thing. They’re currently trying their best to overturn high court rulings and lessen what trials can done by a jury.

      Labour are going out of their way to roll back rights, just in time for the far right to take over. Typical centrists, the vanguard for the fash.

    22. Connect-Profile870 on

      Just use a VPN to sign in to your VPN and then let 2 people use yours to sign in theirs and they do the same. This continues and continues until a sort of pyramid structure is formed.

    23. _x_oOo_x_ on

      **What they claim**: protect children from explicit content and grooming on social media, and shut down circumvention methods

      **What they will achieve**: de facto UK ban on social media, VPNs, and adult content

      Because to access these, you will need to hand over personal data (government photo ID, or biometrics) to unknown third party companies, whether you are a minor or adult. These companies are often based abroad and already got breached in the past. Most people will not want to do this as the risks outweigh the benefits. Even those who do, will learn the hard way after they eventually suffer identity theft, fraud, have their bank accounts emptied, someone else commit benefit fraud in their name, etc. to not hand over their info in the future..

    24. LeopardComfortable99 on

      Considering the source, they’re no doubt exaggerating with “ban” because such a ban is unworkable for the many reasons already stated. It’ll just be a typical “ID Verification” shite

    25. tufftricks on

      Genuinely about to crash out. I need some plant equipment, a lot of thick steel plates and a welder.

    26. 99thLuftballon on

      This article is posted in the Daily Express. Let’s wait and see what a proper news source has to say.

    28. Outside-Dig-5464 on

      Lol.

      Secure internet traffic – Port 443.
      VPN – Port 443.

      Both garbled 1s and 0s until the other end decrypts it.

      It’s the same thing. Not blockable unless we’re banning all secure internet traffic.

      Bye bye internet banking, any online privacy, secure communication or authentication.

      Old man yells at cloud.

    30. deanochips on

      even if they somehow manage the impossible and ban vpn’s you could always do ssh tunneling

      there is always another method

    32. waawaaaa on

      Love that they call it a loophole and not the people who made the safety act just obviously didnt know VPNs existed.

    33. ProperPizza on

      Lifelong Labour voter here.

      I will never, *ever* vote Labour again.

      So, that’s three parties I won’t vote for. Running out of decent options.

    34. Ploobul on

      Hurray another incredibly shortsighted act by the government that’s clearly just another way to massively control internet freedom…

    36. AllRedLine on

      Probably in my top 3 voting motivators, this. I will heavily consider voting for *any* Party that commits to repealing these draconian laws.

    37. MeanWafer904 on

      >I know that parents across the country want us to act urgently to keep their children safe online. That’s why I stood up to Grok and Elon Musk when they flouted British laws and British values.

      No some people just want the state to do the parenting

    38. ionetic on

      Let’s all become like the population of North Korea where VPNs are also banned, you know, to ‘close the loophole’ of Labour’s terrible authoritarian policies. Labour’s plan for the UK to become a totalitarian state has been revealed. More news at 11.

    40. TheBlakeOfUs on

      Every single cybersecurity expert recommends that people use vpns in public.

      Are they planning on banning them for companies too? And if so, does that include companies that are working for the government?

    41. newforestwalker on

      My business uses a vpn tunnel for security, how you going to explain that you now cannot transfer government documents securely because the government banned vpns… this really is people making policy that they cannot or do not understand

    42. MetalingusMikeII on

      Get this dogshit Government **OUT!**

      Everyone vote Greens in the next election. They will repeal this authoritarian bullshit!

    45. GhostRiders on

      Folks Folks Folks…

      Look you all need to open your eyes. This is not a UK thing, this is a World Wide Thing.

      Take a look around the World and you we will see many countries are going down this road and it is no mistake that they are all doing so at the same time.

      UK, Australia, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, India, Italy, Norway, Malaysia, Slovenia and Spain either already have or have plans to introduce Social Media restrictions as well as other restrictions.

      The EU are drafting new legislation to implement restrictions on Social Media as well a raft other laws including introducing a Digital ID.

      Now myself I do believe that Social Media restriction s need to be put in place because unfortunately and it has been proved, far too many Parents refuse to take any responsibility to monitor their children’s Internet activities and the Social Media Platforms are certainly not going to do anything.

      For many years now the Social Media Platforms have done the absolute minimum to stop the proliferation of CSAM material and have actually encouraged and promoted hate and division via their algorithms.

      Due to the fact that they are US based companies there is pretty much nothing anybody can because the US protects them.

      Just for reference, in 2020 the National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children reported that Facebook Alone was responsible for 94% of the 69 Million CSAM reported images reported by US technologies Groups.

      This was just for the US.

      There is certain justification for countries restricting access because there is virtual little else they can do other than a total ban.

      As much as I don not like the direction the world is going in remember this, we are largely responsible.

      It us the users who post CSAM images, hate speech, bullying, stalking etc..

      Just look at reddit and how many subs which are border line illegal and are morally reprehensible.

      We can point to the finger to who ever we like but we also have to take responsibility for turning the Internet into the shithole that it is today.