EU calls VPNs “a loophole that needs closing” in age verification push

The European Parliamentary Research Service (EPRS) has flagged VPNs as a regulatory loophole in online age-verification systems, noting surging VPN usage after mandatory age-verification laws took effect in the UK and several US states. The EPRS document suggests some policymakers want VPN access itself to require age verification, though privacy advocates warn this would undermine anonymity and enable surveillance. The report acknowledges age verification remains technically fragmented and easy to bypass across the EU, while highlighting emerging privacy-preserving approaches like France's 'double-blind' verification. Utah has already enacted legislation targeting VPN use in age verification, and the EU may introduce similar requirements through future updates to the Cybersecurity Act.