Lawmakers' VPN bans are unenforceable, experts say

Gizmodo examined US and UK efforts to restrict VPNs as a workaround for age-verification laws, noting that a real ban would require mass identity checks, network surveillance and device control. Experts say personal VPNs costing $4 or alternative OSes like GrapheneOS can't be stamped out, and bans would push users toward free VPNs that sell data.

• Australia imposed a nationwide under-16 social media restriction; Utah and Texas target app stores
• California will push age checks into commercial OSes from 2027, with open source exempt
• Obscura's CEO says anyone with $4 and ten minutes can set up a personal VPN
• Signal says it would rather exit a market than undermine privacy guarantees