Are VPNs under threat in Australia? FOI documents reveal plans to block age verification workarounds

Date:
Mon, 13 Jul 2026 13:24:12 +0000

Description:
Australia's eSafety Commissioner is planning to investigate how VPNs are used to bypass age verification checks, raising fresh concerns over the future of digital privacy tools.

FULL STORY
The watchdog notes that service providers must prevent workarounds
under new industry codes -- Australia's internet watchdog is keeping a
close eye on VPN services as the country steps up its efforts to enforce strict online age verification rules.

According to documents obtained by The Guardian under freedom of information (FOI) laws, the Australian eSafety Commissioner expects tech platforms and service providers to actively block workarounds that allow users to bypass age-restricted content and social media bans. The internal documents explicitly detail how the government plans to approach these privacy tools under its Unlawful Material Codes and Standards. Under the Codes, the documents state, "service providers must take reasonable steps to prevent workarounds like VPNs so eSafety will look at this when considering
compliance with codes."

For everyday web users, this raises a troubling question: could turning on a virtual private network (VPN) to protect your personal data soon flag you as
a circumventor?

As cybersecurity protections increasingly find themselves in the crosshairs
of child safety regulations, digital privacy advocates are sounding the
alarm. Under the new
codes, the Australian government is placing the burden directly on industry providers to prevent the exposure of age-restricted material, defined by regulators as Class 1 and Class 2 material.

Because a VPN encrypts your internet traffic and spoofs your IP address , it can easily make you appear as though you are browsing from a different country, bypassing local geoblocks and age gates. That's exactly why VPN downloads skyrocketed after Australia enforced mandatory age verification for adult content last March.

However, Australian authorities are confident that platforms can counter
this.

According to the FOI documents, the government's ongoing Age Assurance Technology Trial has convinced regulators that network detection is feasible. The documents note that "the Department of Infrastructure, Transport,
Regional Development, Communications, Sport and the Arts knows that tech companies can tell when a VPN is in use."

Consequently, the eSafety Commissioner is treating the detection of these tools as a fundamental requirement. The internal log clarifies that "this is similar to eSafetys regulatory guidance for the social media minimum age , where eSafety considers VPN detection as a reasonable step to prevent
underage users from having an account."

A global ripple effect? Australia is far from the only country struggling to balance child safety legislation with the right to online privacy. The debate over whether to treat VPNs as essential security software or mere circumvention tools is heating up worldwide.

Recent analysis of Australia's age verification rules suggests that trying
to plug these "loopholes" could severely compromise the digital safety of the broader population. In fact, some experts argue that demanding that platforms actively block VPN connections sets a dangerous precedent for civil
liberties.

The ripple effect is already visible across Europe.

As the EU launches its own age verification initiatives , regulators are increasingly signaling that VPNs might be next in line for restrictions. Similarly, the shifting role of VPNs in the UK has prompted rigorous discussions about whether incoming social media bans could lead to VPN restrictions .

Ultimately, the eSafety Commissioners plan highlights a growing reality: as governments worldwide roll out strict age assurance mandates, child safety measures and VPN use are on a collision course .

Whether everyday Australians will still be able to freely protect their data on public Wi-Fi without being blocked from their favorite sites remains to be seen.

Link to news story:

https://www.techradar.com/vpn/vpn-privacy-security/are-vpns-under-threat-in-au stralia-foi-documents-reveal-plans-to-block-age-verification-workarounds

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* Origin: capitolcityonline.net * KY, USA (1:2320/107)