https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/vpns-up-porn-websites-down-australia-brings-new-online-age-restrictions-2026-03-09/SYDNEY, March 9 (Reuters) - Australians were downloading virtual private networks (VPNs) in droves, while one of the world's largest porn distributors said it was blocking users from its platforms as the country rolled out sweeping online age restrictions on Monday.Last December, Australia became the first country to impose a nationwide ban on teenagers using social media. A separate law now requires AI-powered chatbot services to keep certain content - including pornography, extreme violence and self-harm and eating disorder material - from minors or face fines of up to A$49.5 million ($34.5 million).The country also joined Britain, France and dozens of U.S. states requiring websites which disseminate pornography to verify users are over 18. App stores must also run age checks before allowing downloads of software labelled 18+.The country's eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant said the measures aimed to afford children the same protection online as the world expected offline.
"A child today can't walk into a bar and order a drink, they can't stroll into a strip club or browse an adult shop or sit down at a blackjack table in a casino," she told the Australian Broadcasting Corp."This just really brings ... those protections that we put for kids in place to the digital realm."Three of the 15 most downloaded free smartphone apps on Monday were VPNs, a chart published by iPhone maker Apple showed. The most downloaded VPN, called VPN - Super Unlimited Proxy, ranked ahead of any social media platform, the chart showed.VPN - Super Unlimited Proxy did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. All internet-connected devices carry an individual code which discloses their location, and VPNs hide the user's location by assigning a new code to the device.Canada-based Aylo, owner of a large network of pornography websites, meanwhile blocked Australians from accessing the platforms RedTube and YouPorn, while presenting a version of Pornhub without explicit content.All the websites carried a banner saying it was "not currently accepting new account registrations in your region".Aylo said in an email it had "restricted access to our platforms in a number of locations, including the UK, France, and a number of US states, due to ineffective and haphazard age verification laws".Tom Sulston, deputy chair of advocacy group Digital Rights Watch, said it was unsurprising that people were reaching for VPNs."My hope is that, not only will they discover that this works for looking at spicier internet sites, but that it's just generally a good idea to use VPNs when you're traversing the internet, because they do offer you some privacy protections."($1 = 1.4351 Australian dollars)
THEY MADE LINUX ILLEGAL AND THEYLL MAKE VPNS ILLEGAL TOO
I stocked up all my favorite pornography and have a million hours plus. No beast or CP, or rape, are extreme violence and mutilation. Every other kind though. So I can trade it to people all they want through Torrents.
>>1495768does that mean the pozztralians will finally fuck off from 4chan?At last this site will be usable again.
>>1495773This guy doesn't fuck
>>1495768How about parents just not giving unsupervised internet access to their kids
>>1495795Yeah that totally works
>>1495773I started doing that after Pornhub deleted a lot of videos a few years back. I have like 600GB now.
>>1495797Yeah this isn't basically just a big gov "think of the children" powergrab to further ruin the internet.
>>1495833you're projecting esl shill
>>1495768That op video doesn't even make sense, it's retarded as fuck, the think tank you work for isn't even trying anymore
>>1495844Why does it make you angry?
>>1495795No you have to raise their children stupid chud they're busy day drinking and speeding in school zones
>>1495795A halfway decent information campaign telling people that PARENTAL CONTROLS EXIST would be far more effective (and safer for everyone) than just throwing everyone's private data at shady offshore companies.
>>1495775Not a chance>>1495768They should just make it illegal to be on the internet for under 18’s
>>1496147The old meme "Internet Serous Business" came true. It's all high stakes these days. I'm going to go outside.
>>1496153>seriousbusinesscat.jpg
>>1495768I hate Britan and their pets beyond the channel at the south for pushing this into the rest of the world. It's the death of the last frontier of freedom in this forsaken world
