I really do want to know who the people are who think these kind of things are a good idea. Do the overlords trying to pass them actually have constituents who are asking for this? I have yet to meet a normal person in real life who thinks the government should control what people access online.
In a debate scheduled to discuss public opposition to the legislation, MPs used the opportunity to argue for stricter rules on VPN use instead.
Politicians seem way too eager to enact these kinds of regulations:
Peter Fortune, Conservative MP for Bromley and Biggin Hill, asked the House: "Does [the Minister] agree that, for the Online Safety Act to be successful, the use of VPNs has to be examined further?"Echoing Fortune's remarks, Labour MP Jim McMahon argued that VPN companies should be responsible for preventing children from evading checks. "Why are VPNs not in scope of the legislation to ensure that they are compliant with the age verification measures?" he asked."Presumably, it is more difficult for the end website to know the origins of the user if they have bypassed via a VPN. Surely the onus should be on the VPN company to comply with the law," he added.The UK's Minister for Digital Government and Data, Ian Murray, reassured lawmakers that the government is already acting. As previously reported by TechRadar, Ofcom is currently monitoring VPN use to assess how these tools are being used."We will not hesitate to go further if necessary," said Murray.