Overview

• Since the Act took effect on July 25, platforms have carried out roughly five million additional age verifications daily via facial scans, photo ID and credit-card checks under threat of fines up to £18 million or 10 percent of turnover.
• A petition pushing for the Act’s repeal has amassed nearly 500,000 signatures, triggering consideration for debate in Parliament.
• Campaigners, including the Electronic Frontier Foundation’s Paige Collings, warn the law poses a threat to user privacy and could lead to algorithmic discrimination through mandated face checks.
• VPN services have surged in popularity as users seek to bypass age-verification rules, with Proton VPN reporting an 1,800 percent increase in UK daily sign-ups and other providers noting four-figure spikes.
• Political figures such as Nigel Farage and U.S. congressman Jim Jordan have blasted the Act as censorship, holding meetings with Ofcom and warning of potential visa bans for regulators.