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There are “no current plans” to impose a ban VPN’sBut a technology minister has said, “There is nothing wrong when it comes to keeping children safe.”
Baroness Liz Lloyd warned that there is limited evidence on the use of “VPNs by children”, or virtual private networks, which can help internet users bypass UK internet rules and filters.
he saw one lords Proposal to express regret over Ofcom’s code of practice for child protection, written as part of the Online Safety Act 2023, under criticism.
The code, introduced earlier this year, places a duty on social media and search engine companies to keep children away from viewing online material related to pornography, suicide, self-harm and eating disorders.
It also places a duty on technology companies to keep certain children from accessing “hate-inciting material” and “bullying” material.
Lord Clement-Jones warned that there were “immediate concerns about the implementation” of the Online Protection Act.
liberal democrat The technology spokesman at Lord’s, who moved and later withdrew the motion, warned that VPN use by children was “widespread”.
Lord Clement-Jones said, “It risks rendering age-assurance measures ineffective”.
Additionally, “there are concerns that critical content such as political debates, educational sites and information sites like wikipediaAnd support forums related to LGBTQ+ rights or sexual health are being inappropriately age-restricted on social media”, he said.
Lord Clement-Jones said: “We took this as a huge risk when the Act was passed.”
Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales told The House magazine this week that the Online Security Act was a “very poorly thought out law”.
He said: “We will not age-limit Wikipedia under any circumstances, so, if that happens, it’s going to be an interesting contest because we will refuse to do it.
“Politically, what are they going to do? They could block Wikipedia. Good luck with that.”
A survey two years ago by the not-for-profit Internet Matters found that fewer than 8% of nine- to 17-year-olds used a VPN to browse the Web.
“The Government “The use of fraudulent technologies, including VPNs, will continue to be monitored, and any future interventions will be informed by evidence,” Baroness Lloyd of Afra said.
“At present, there is limited evidence on VPN use by children, and the government is considering ways to address this evidence gap.
“And there are no current plans to ban VPN use, as there are legitimate reasons to use a VPN.”
Baroness Lloyd said the watchdog was “committed to strengthening” the Ofcom code and added: “The government has made it clear that nothing can be done when it comes to keeping children safe, and we will continue to monitor and assess the effectiveness of the Online Safety Act in protecting children online.”