According to TechRadar, the UK’s communications regulator Ofcom is using an unnamed third-party tool with artificial intelligence capabilities to monitor VPN usage across the country. The agency confirmed it’s gathering “fully aggregated” app-level data through a “leading third-party provider” but refused to identify the company or its methods. This monitoring comes as daily VPN users reportedly surged to around 1.5 million following the introduction of mandatory age checks on adult websites earlier this year. While tech minister Baroness Lloyd told the House of Lords there are “no current plans to ban VPNs,” she notably added that “nothing is off the table” when it comes to protecting children online. Ofcom has not responded to follow-up requests for additional information about the monitoring program.
The transparency problem
Here’s the thing about Ofcom’s statement – it raises more questions than it answers. They’re using some mystery company with AI capabilities that “combines multiple data sources to train its models,” but won’t tell us who it is or how it works. That means we have no idea if this is a company with solid privacy practices or one known for invasive surveillance techniques.
And while Ofcom claims the data is “fully aggregated” and contains no personally identifiable information, there’s nothing stopping re-identification of that data later. Basically, they’re asking us to trust them without showing their work. When a regulator starts monitoring tools designed specifically for privacy, that should set off alarm bells for everyone.
Why VPNs aren’t just for bypassing blocks
Ofcom seems focused on VPNs as a way to circumvent age verification, but that’s only part of the story. James Baker from Open Rights Group points out that “VPNs can help protect children’s security online too, they aren’t just used to avoid content blocks.” Several major VPN providers now include adult site blocking features – NordVPN and Surfshark both offer tools that automatically restrict access to inappropriate content while providing malware protection.
So increased VPN usage doesn’t automatically mean people are trying to dodge the law. It could mean more people are concerned about their online privacy and security. The government’s framing feels deliberately narrow.
Setting a dangerous precedent
Baker makes a chilling comparison that’s hard to ignore – he notes that most analytics show “VPN use has been lower in countries that have a greater degree of online freedom, and higher in more repressive regimes such as China, Russia or the UAE.” When a liberal democracy starts monitoring privacy tools the same way authoritarian governments do, that should make everyone uncomfortable.
The government department responsible for the legislation, DSIT, ignored requests for comment. Meanwhile, Ofcom’s own public correspondence and parliamentary discussions in the House of Lords show this is part of a broader push under the Online Safety Act. The question is whether we’re sacrificing fundamental privacy rights for questionable security gains.
Where this could lead
A full VPN ban seems unlikely – it would be incredibly unpopular and nearly impossible to implement. But the mere fact that Ofcom is spending resources to monitor VPN usage suggests this is more than just casual observation. They’re building capabilities and gathering data that could inform future policy decisions.
Without greater transparency about what data they’re collecting and how they’re analyzing it, speculation about the UK sliding toward digital authoritarianism will only grow. The government wants to know if their Online Safety Act is working, but their methods might be creating bigger problems than they’re solving. When you start treating privacy tools as threats rather than protections, you’ve fundamentally misunderstood what digital freedom means.
