"Within this context, it is no surprise that Google searches for VPNs in Florida have skyrocketed. But as more states and countries pass age verification laws, it is crucial to recognize the broader implications these measures have on privacy, free speech, and access to information. While VPNs may be able to disguise the source of your internet activity, they are not foolproof—nor should they be necessary to access legally protected speech.

A VPN routes all your network traffic through an “encrypted tunnel” between your devices and the VPN server. The traffic then leaves the VPN to its ultimate destination, masking your original IP address. From a website’s point of view, it appears your location is wherever the VPN server is. A VPN should not be seen as a tool for anonymity. While it can protect your location from some companies, a disreputable VPN service might deliberately collect personal information or other valuable data. There are many other ways companies may track you while you use a VPN, including GPS, web cookies, mobile ad IDs, tracking pixels, or fingerprinting.

With varying mandates across different regions, it will become increasingly difficult for VPNs to effectively circumvent these age verification requirements because each state or country may have different methods of enforcement and different types of identification checks, such as government-issued IDs, third-party verification systems, or biometric data. As a result, VPN providers will struggle to keep up with these constantly changing laws and ensure users can bypass the restrictions, especially as more sophisticated detection systems are introduced to identify and block VPN traffic."

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2025/01/vpns-are-not-solution-age-verification-laws

#USA #AgeVerification #Censorship #Florida #VPNs #Surveillance #Privacy #Pornhub #DataProtection