Overview

• Ofcom has activated age-verification requirements on major services such as Reddit, Discord, X and Spotify, mandating face scans or ID checks for access to explicit content.
• More than 480,000 signatures have been lodged in Parliament calling for repeal, while Nigel Farage and other UK politicians vow to overturn what they deem overreach.
• A bipartisan US congressional delegation met with Ofcom and government ministers to protest the law’s impact on American tech firms, citing fears of censorship.
• VPN downloads have soared with Proton VPN reporting an 1,800 percent jump in UK daily sign-ups as users seek to bypass the new age-gating measures.
• Regulators can impose fines up to £18 million or 10 percent of global turnover, with potential executive penalties underscoring the government’s commitment to rapid enforcement.