A wide -ranging online post is that VPN (virtual private networks) are illegal in the UK.
Evaluation
This is incorrect. VPNs are not illegal in England, and there is no apparent plan to be illegal.
Facts
VPN is a system that connects a personal device – typically a computer or smartphone – to the server in a different location. This means that the websites that a person visits cannot see their IP address.
This is used by many people to protect the privacy or restrictions that websites have placed that can visit a page. It can also be useful to allow people from home and access their workplace resources.
Some countries limit or prohibit the use of VPN. But England is not one of these.
Following the implementation of new age verification rules earlier this year, Technology Secretary Peter Kyle paid to those who used VPN to obtain the rules by routing their request through servers in another country.
“For all those who are thinking of using VPN, let me tell you:” Your age confirms your child, keeps children safe in our country, “he said.
“So let’s just try to find a way. Just prove your age. Make the Internet safer for children.”
Later in the interview, he said, “No, I don’t intend to ban the vpns. This is not on the cards. I just want to be cautious about how people use them.”
Link
Send in x (archived)
Microsoft – What is VPN? (Archived)
Norton – are vpns legal for use in the UK? (Archived)
Gov.uk – Safe Maintain Children Online: Changes in Online Safety Law Explained (Archive)
YouTube – Representative of Peter Kyle in BBC Breakfast Breakfast: Online Safety Act, July 29, 2025 (Archive and Voice Loading Page)
