To date, the only countries that have made progress in blocking VPN traffic with some success are authoritarian regimes with ISP-level surveillance.
You know you’re on to something when the only playbook you can find was written by the Chinese government.
The horseshoe theory of mass surveillance
Web services and websites should block all Utah IP addresses and redirect to page explaining that because they cannot tell who’s using a VPN, their only option is to block all of Utah.
Yes, I understand how dumb that is, but sometimes you have to fight stupid with stupider.
Web services and websites should block all Utah IP addresses and redirect to page explaining that because they cannot tell who’s using a VPN, their only option is to block all of Utah.
But VPN users using a VPN outside of Utah will still get through.
What Utah (and likely other dumb states soon) are trying to do is to force age verification worldwide through a state law, forcing websites to verify the age of every user from anywhere, because any user who accesses the site from anywhere in the world might possibly be someone in Utah using a VPN.
That just means that people in Utah would need to use a VPN to access those sites.
Which is hilarious, and a predictable result when your legislature is mostly filled with people who could’ve retired decades ago…
Porn sites have been doing that for years now.
And that’s exactly what they want.
They don’t want every website to do it though.
I like the thought, but it won’t work. The big websites won’t be willing to lose money they don’t have to, and like ID laws that give them reasons to extract more data from users anyway.
They actually want to avoid the liability of storing someone’s id.
The government wants to make these things illegal, but they also want to track every person on the internet through their government ID, so they create the problem (age restriction and id checks) because they have the planned solution: digital id for every computer!
Do you have your computer license? Do you? You think the internet is a psy-op and Big Brother’s watching you? Just wait until a government admin message pops up on your screen because you visited the wrong website.
You’re getting fined for spreading misinformation or receiving a letter for libel due to some offhand tweet about some famous person. Don’t worry about receiving a notice in the mail, if you have a printer they’ll make it print your ticket for you immediately.
These aren’t “age checks”…it’s identity tracking.
Absolutely! Journalists really need to start describing these as what they are rather than the marketing term. It is much more accurate to call them “ID Checks” or something like that.
How is this enforceable?
Seems like it’s the first step in transferring control of the internet to the government.
Step 1 to China/Russia/Iran level internet?
The government? Whoever is the highest bidder for all the data being gathered. Probably Palantir, as ever.
The EFF warned that the legal risk could push sites to either ban all known VPN IPs or mandate age verification for every visitor globally.
This is the goal.
I think this is one if those laws where they get to selectively choose who to prosecute.
…everyone is always a criminal so those in charge can do whateverthefuck they want with little regard for actual laws.
It’s not, it’s an add-on for shifting liability after the fact. Basically, if a site gets dinged as being part of showing some youth something truly evil, like confirming the existence of LGTBQI+ people on earth, then if the youth used a VPN, somehow the site is to blame. And likely fines come into play.
It’s like if a person that’s 19 buys alcohol with a fake ID in Utah - the liability is still on the place that unknowingly sold the liquor. It’s probably based on the same lack of logic.
This will be be one of those that they use to tag onto your allegedly illegal activities. Probably a larger penalty but a secondary infraction that can be painful. They just need reason.
I think you can equate it to if you were pulled over for speeding, and they noticed a busted taillight which makes the fine larger. They can’t pull you over for a busted taillight alone but they can add those fees on and wow do they add up.
every website will start blocking VPN IPs, more so than what some already do, which is exactly what these cunts want
Age verification is a red line. I will not comply
But spoofing a phone number and harassing me all day isn’t worth solutioning. This Gov. is not representing us.
This is like holding a car manufacturer liable when a teenager drives to a liquor store and uses a fake ID.
Remember when we told people “they’ll make it illegal to use a VPN” and we got snarky replies like “it’s not enforceable LOL”.
The fuck it isn’t. Traffic coming from a VPN? That’s a paddlin’, kiddo.
They’re not even trying to masquerade it as… oh, yes, they’re still trying to masquerade as a “think of the children!” measure. Those fuckers.
oh no…anyways i’m just going to carry on, y’all get so uppity about anything, lifes too short to give a fuck about age verification
It’s not about age verification. That’s not their goal. They’re trying to de-anonymize the internet to punish and restrict dissent.
Still don’t care, sorry not sorry.
