Starting November 12, Italy will apply its nationwide porn ban, under AgCom’s new resolution, requiring adult websites to verify users’ ages, the move mirrors similar restrictions in the US and UK, sparking global debates over child safety, privacy, and internet freedom.
Intended to protect minors from harmful content, blocking porn sites triggered an unprecedented surge in VPN downloads as users attempt to bypass verification systems. Experts warn of the response against the fact that there is no data protection on porn sites, it could lead millions to data theft, malware, and state-linked surveillance.
Child Protection Porn Ban
AgCom’s measure, part of the Caivano Decree, mandates mandatory age verification on 48 adult platforms to prevent minors from accessing pornographic content.
The porn internet restrictions system will follow a “double anonymity” model, using independent third parties such as certified digital identity providers to confirm users’ ages without revealing personal data to websites.
Consumer association Codacons described the new porn ban law move as “a fair measure,” but admitted it was “a drop in the ocean.”
According to a CNR survey cited by the group, “88% of Italian male adolescents and 40% of females” have already viewed explicit material.
Codacons warned that the porn ban “will not stop the dissemination of pornographic material among young people,” highlighting that minors can “connect to a remote server that assigns an IP address from another country and easily circumvent the Italian block.”
Similar outcomes have appeared in the UK, where the Online Safety Act introduced comparable rules. Forbes reported that despite claims of reduced porn consumption, “users are simply masking their locations to bypass the ban.”
Blocking Porn Sites and Cybersecurity Risks
The porn ban has fueled an explosion in VPN use or what is called now fake VPN for porn, prompting urgent cybersecurity warnings. “Threat actors distribute malicious applications disguised as legitimate VPN services,” Google warned, adding that many “impersonate trusted enterprise and consumer VPN brands or use social engineering lures.”
Following the UK’s restrictions, Proton VPN reported a 1,400% surge in new users, while NordVPN recorded a 1,000% increase. TechRadar said “10.7 million VPN downloads in the first half of 2025” made the UK one of the world’s fastest-growing VPN markets.
The wave has created new risks of banning porn against data theft.
“In seeking to protect their data, many are unwittingly exposing their data to servers in China and Russia,” Telecoms Tech News warned. Comparitech found several VPNs communicating with Chinese domains and Russian IPs linked to major tech companies.
Google’s latest report warns that unsafe VPNs can deliver “dangerous malware payloads including info-stealers, remote access trojans and banking trojans.” Yet lawmakers in the UK and US are taking into consideration going further by restricting VPN use altogether particularly for minors rather than a secure VPN for porn. Wisconsin’s proposed bill could even make it illegal to access adult content through a VPN.
While governments frame bypassing internet blocks measures as child protection, privacy advocates argue they threaten digital rights.
As governments tighten controls in the name of child safety and create safety after porn ban, critics warn that the real cost may be the erosion of online freedom where protecting the young endangers everyone’s privacy.
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