Latest news with #internetprivacy
Gizmodo
a day ago
- Business
- Gizmodo
Pornhub Back Online in France After Court Ruling About Age Verification
Many porn sites, including Pornhub, YouPorn, and RedTube, all went dark earlier this month in France to protest a new age verification law that would have required the websites to collect ID from users. But those sites went back online Friday after a new ruling from a French court suspended enforcement of the law until it can be determined whether it conflicts with existing European Union rules, according to France24. Aylo, the company that owns Pornhub, has previously said that requiring age verification 'creates an unacceptable security risk' and warned that setting up that kind of process makes people vulnerable to hacks and leaks of sensitive information. The French law would've required Aylo to verify user ages with a government-issued ID or a credit card. The company favors age verification methods that are done by large tech companies like Microsoft and Apple at the device level and told France24 that the suspension of the law is an 'opportunity to reconsider more efficient approaches' for age verification. The government of France plans to appeal the suspension of the law to the Council of State, the highest administrative court in the country, according to France24. France is Pornhub's second largest market behind the U.S., according to the company's own figures. The Philippines, Mexico, and the United Kingdom make up the rest of the top five countries that visit Pornhub by traffic. Pornhub didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. Age verification laws for porn websites has been a controversial issue globally, with the U.S. seeing a dramatic uptick in states passing such laws in recent years. Nineteen states now have laws that require age verification for porn sites, meaning that anyone who wants to access Pornhub in places like Florida and Texas need to use a VPN. Australia recently passed a law banning social media use for anyone under the age of 16, regardless of explicit content, which is currently making its way through the expected challenges. The law had a 12-month buffer built in to allow the country's internet safety regulator to figure out how to implement it. Tech giants like Meta and TikTok were dealt a blow on Friday after the commission issued a report stating that age verification 'can be private, robust and effective,' though trials are ongoing about how to best make the law work, according to ABC News in Australia.
CTV News
a day ago
- Business
- CTV News
Age verification: Youporn and Pornhub reactivated in France
The Pornhub website is shown on a computer screen in Toronto on Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2020. (THE CANADIAN PRESS) The websites Youporn, Pornhub, and Redtube have been reactivated in France by their owner following the suspension by French courts of the decree requiring pornography platforms located in the European Union to verify the age of their users, AFP reported on Friday. The decision by the Paris Administrative Court, which on Monday suspended the decree, published in February following a law passed in 2024 pending a review of its compatibility with European law, 'provides an opportunity to reconsider more effective approaches,' according to a message on the homepage of the three sites, which are owned by the company Aylo. The French government has announced its intention to appeal to the Council of State, France's highest administrative court. Hosted in Cyprus, Aylo made its sites inaccessible in early June to protest against the law, which requires adult site publishers to implement an identification system preventing minors from accessing them, under penalty of sanctions from the French digital and audiovisual regulator, Arcom, which could include blocking the sites. 'By suspending access to our site in France, we are taking a stand: we refuse to compromise your privacy with measures that, paradoxically, fail to effectively protect minors,' Aylo said in a message on the homepage of the three sites. According to a study conducted in the first half of 2024 by Arcom, nearly 40 per cent of children in France access pornographic sites every month. In concrete terms, the decree suspended on Monday requires these platforms to demand the submission of a photo or identity document, for example, by offering at least one method that respects the principle of double anonymity, which allows users to prove they are of legal age without revealing their identity. Aylo, which claims seven million daily visitors in France across its various platforms, advocates age verification at the device and operating system level. Other countries, such as the United Kingdom and Germany, also impose age-related restrictions on access to adult websites. This report by AFP was first published in French on June 20, 2025.
Yahoo
09-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Ohio lawmakers introduce competing proposal for online age verification
Rep. Heidi Workman, R-Rootstown, (left) alongside Rep. Phil Plummer, R-Dayton, introducing their legislation. (Photo by Nick Evans, Ohio Capital Journal.) Ohio lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are concerned about protecting minors on the internet, but how exactly to handle age verification has been a bit of challenge. Now, legislators are offering competing visions for determining an internet users' age. One of those visions, backed by social media companies like Facebook parent company Meta, would put the onus squarely on app stores. Another, introduced last week, shares responsibility between the app stores and app developers. A complicated system added to the 2023 state budget was summarily rejected by federal courts earlier this year. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX The newest proposal, House Bill 302, is sponsored by state Reps. Heidi Workman, R-Rootstown, and Phil Plummer, R-Dayton. They describe the proposal as a way to split duties between the companies building apps and the ones providing access to those apps. An app store would act as a kind of dashboard, providing a central location for parental controls, and delivering an 'age signal' to developers so they can determine what user experience is appropriate. 'These duties reflect what app stores are uniquely positioned to do,' Workman said, 'provide infrastructure, support consistency and enable parental oversight in a scalable, privacy-conscious way.' But the work doesn't end there. 'App developers who understand the intricacies of their own platforms are responsible for implementing practical protections tailored to the risks present in their apps,' she said. Plummer said their approach ensures developers get no more information than is necessary. The bill also contains safeguards against developers sharing that age information or leveraging children's data for targeted ads. Plummer said H.B. 302 is 'structured to provide meaningful protections where they're needed, without overreaching into areas where they are not.' He also said the measure is flexible enough to respond as technology grows and changes. Part of that flexibility, however, comes from seemingly vague standards and requirements in the bill's language. Apps are only 'covered' if they offer different experiences for adults and minors. Initial determinations about a user's age come down to an estimate, the nature of which is unclear. Ohio judge permanently blocks social media age verification law Companies 'may use' tools that are 'commercially reasonable' to estimate a user's age category 'with a reasonable level of certainty proportionate to the risks that arise from access to and use of the relevant service or portion thereof,' according to the bill's language. Users who are estimated to be a minor can verify their age. The bill doesn't describe how they do so. It's a notable departure from Ohio's first stab at age verification, known as the Social Media Parental Notification Act. That measure tried to pre-determine every sort of website where adult content might be available, while drafting exceptions for news or commerce sites. When he put that law on hold, U.S. District Judge Algenon Marbley called it a 'breathtakingly blunt instrument.' Marbley permanently enjoined the measure last April. Running parallel to Workman and Plummer's proposal is a competing measure sponsored by state Rep. Melanie Miller, R-Ashland, and state Sen. Michele Reynolds, R-Canal Winchester. Miller and Reynolds want to put the responsibility for age verification and parental consent on the app store. Meta strongly supports the legislation. Ohio Republicans propose new social media age verification plan Jennifer Hanley, who heads up North American safety policy for the company told Ohio lawmakers understanding a user's age is 'fundamental' to providing age-appropriate content, but insisted that responsibility shouldn't fall on her company. 'We think the easiest, most consistent, and most privacy-protective solution is to require app stores to verify age and get a parent's approval any time a teen wants to download an app,' Hanley said. The method compares to a person buying a six-pack of Budweiser at a store – they show their ID to the cashier, not to the beer company. If app stores are a one-stop-shop for all the games, messaging and social media services a person will download, the app store, not the app company, would determine the age. But companies who operate app stores, most notably Apple and Google, are uncomfortable with carrying that much responsibility. As Plummer put it, 'app stores can provide consistent tools (and) centralized access points, but they should not be forced to manage risk they cannot fully access.' Speaking after the hearing introducing the bill, Workman acknowledged they've been working with app store companies to develop their legislation. She said they wanted to 'bring all stakeholders to the table.' Workman said those companies believe the proposal offers a workable solution, but no other state has actually implemented the provisions. Follow Ohio Capital Journal Reporter Nick Evans on X or on Bluesky. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Gizmodo
06-06-2025
- Gizmodo
How to Get a Colombian IP Address: Stream, Bank, and Browse Like a Local
If your playlists are full of Sebastián Yatra, your football loyalty screams Atlético Nacional, or your work relies on Colombian web tools, a local IP is pretty much essential. The internet still draws invisible borders, and if you're outside Colombia, you'll feel the block instantly: slower speeds, regional restrictions, and services that ghost you like a bad Tinder date. The simple solution is to get a Colombian IP address through a reliable VPN. And it's not just a niche thing anymore, VPN usage in Latin America has surged, with Colombia leading in mobile-first VPN adoption. In this guide, we're getting hands-on. We tested the best VPNs with real servers in Bogotá (spoiler: not all 'Colombian' IPs are actually located in Colombia), ran speed tests, and streamed regional content to find out what actually works. So if you're tired of being blocked, slowed, or tracked, here's how to get a Colombian IP address — the right way. Why You Should Use a VPN to Get a Colombian IP Address Obtaining a Colombian IP sounds simple on paper. But not every method actually works, or works safely. We tried them all, and here's what we found. Proxies and Smart DNS: Half Solutions, Zero Privacy Proxies and Smart DNS services promise easy region-switching. But in practice? They're like renting a disguise without checking if it actually fits. Yes, some Smart DNS tools let you spoof your region. But they don't encrypt your traffic, so your data is still exposed. Worse, many Colombian sites that require logins or banking verification sniff these out and block them anyway. And proxies? Forget it. They're slow, unstable, and often run on questionable infrastructure. We tried three of the highest-rated Colombian proxies. Out of these, two didn't connect, and one loaded a broken page, which is not exactly confidence-inspiring. Free VPNs: Limited, Leaky, and Not Actually Colombian Then we turned to free VPNs. The idea sounds great — hide your IP address, access local sites, pay nothing. But here's the catch: most free VPNs don't have Colombian servers. Even Proton VPN, which is the best free VPN service in 2025, doesn't offer servers in Colombia. That meant no real Colombian IP, and the whole 'free VPN' angle was a non-starter for this test. Other freebies we tested did have a 'Colombian' option, but a quick IP check showed we were actually connecting through Miami or São Paulo. That's not going to cut it for anything that really requires local verification. A VPN Is the Only Tool That Works — If You Pick the Right One The only solution that worked end-to-end with a reliable connection, true Colombian IP, strong encryption, and streaming compatibility was a premium VPN with physical servers in Bogotá. That instantly ruled out most providers. NordVPN was the clear winner here, but we'll get into that next. If you want a Colombian IP that just works (for streaming, banking, browsing, or privacy), a real VPN with real Colombian servers is the only move worth making. How to Get a Colombian IP Address: Step-by-Step Guide Getting a Colombian IP isn't just about clicking 'connect.' If you want a real IP located inside Colombia, with no leaks, no performance hiccups, and full compatibility with local services, here's exactly how to do it, tested and verified using NordVPN. Step 1: Sign Up for NordVPN Go to NordVPN's official site and choose a plan. The long-term options offer the best bang for your buck (just over $3/month), and you're covered by a 30-day money-back guarantee, so there's zero risk in trying it out. Get a Colombian IP with NordVPN Step 2: Download the NordVPN App NordVPN supports almost every platform: Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, Linux, Smart TVs, and even routers. Download and install the app for your device, and log in with the account you just created. Step 3: Connect to a Colombian Server Launch the app, type 'Colombia' into the search bar, and connect to one of the physical servers located in Bogotá. You'll be automatically routed through the fastest server available. During our tests, we hit Bogotá-#343, and consistently got low ping and high speeds. Step 4: Verify Your Colombian IP Address Before opening any geo-locked sites, verify that your IP is actually Colombian. Visit You should see 'Bogotá, Colombia' as your active location. If it still shows your real location, make sure Kill Switch is on and try reconnecting. Step 5: Stream, Surf, or Log In Securely Now you're good to go. You can safely access Colombian TV platforms from abroad, local banking portals, or search results tailored to Colombia. All your traffic is encrypted, and your true IP stays hidden, even on public Wi-Fi. Why We Picked NordVPN for This Guide We tested multiple VPNs, and NordVPN was the only one with physical servers in Bogotá that consistently delivered stable speeds, real Colombian IPs, and zero DNS leaks. It also supports SmartPlay (great for streaming Colombian content), allows unlimited bandwidth, and has extra security tools like Threat Protection and Meshnet. So, whether you're accessing local services or just want a fast, private, Colombian browsing experience, NordVPN is the one we'd trust to get the job done. Best VPNs for a Colombian IP Address in 2025 We didn't just Google 'VPN with Colombian servers' and call it a day. We went full hands-on mode. We tested connection speeds, IP accuracy, app reliability, and whether each VPN actually gave us a real Colombian IP (not just one claiming to be Colombian while routing traffic through Florida). Only a few VPNs made the cut. And only one came out on top. 7492 servers 118 covered countries 30 days money-back guarantee 10 simultaneous connections 9.4 /10 Visit site Our review Monthly price 3,09 $ 27 MONTHS 4,99 $ 12 MONTHS 11,99 $ 1 MONTH Our opinion: The best overall VPN for reliability and security Speed Security Features Ease of use Customer support Value for money SEE MORE 1 3000 servers 105 covered countries 30 days money-back guarantee 8 simultaneous connections 9.1 /10 Visit site Our review Monthly price 6,67 $ 15 MONTHS 9,99 $ 6 MONTHS 12,95 $ 1 MONTH Our opinion: The fast and easy to use quality VPN Speed Security Features Ease of use Customer support Value for money SEE MORE 2 27000 servers 91 covered countries 30 days money-back guarantee Unlimited connections 9 /10 Visit site Our review Monthly price 2,19 $ 24+2 MONTHS 7,50 $ 6 MONTHS 11,99 $ 1 MONTH Our opinion: The best VPN at affordable rates Speed Security Features Ease of use Customer support Value for money SEE MORE 3 1. NordVPN If you're serious about getting a true Colombian IP, NordVPN is where the conversation starts, and probably ends. Unlike most services that rely on virtual locations, NordVPN offers physical servers right in Bogotá, making it the best VPN for Colombia. That means when you hit connect, your traffic actually goes through Colombia, not some workaround server across the continent. We verified the IP location multiple times during our test, and it nailed it every time. What makes Colombian access shine is SmartPlay technology. It blends Smart DNS and VPN tunneling, making it seamless to access regional Colombian platforms like RCN Televisión, Caracol Play, and Banco de Bogotá with zero buffering and no CAPTCHA loops. We tested on both desktop and mobile, and it was flawless across the board. Thanks to the Bogotá servers, latency also stayed low. Whether we were streaming on an Android TV or loading up Colombian marketplaces from Europe, the experience was smooth, responsive, and glitch-free. NordVPN also gives you top-tier privacy tools baked into the same package, with things like Threat Protection (for blocking malware, ads, and trackers), Meshnet (for secure device-to-device links), and multiple VPN protocols (including NordLynx, based on WireGuard, for speed and efficiency). Pricing starts at just over $3/month on long-term plans, and they back it with a 30-day money-back guarantee, so there's no risk to try it yourself. In our hands-on testing with NordVPN, it was the only service that checked every box: speed, reliability, real IP location, and serious privacy protections. If you want to feel like you're in Colombia (digitally speaking) this is the one to get. Try NordVPN Now 2. ExpressVPN ExpressVPN has long been the gold standard for polished, high-performance VPNs. Now that it includes real physical servers in Bogotá, it's a genuinely strong option for anyone who wants a Colombian IP that just works. We tested it across multiple platforms (desktop, Android, iOS, and Smart TV), and the Bogotá server consistently delivered great speeds and zero IP leaks. Whether we were watching Canal RCN, accessing local financial platforms, or just browsing Colombian news sites, the connection felt fast and reliable every time. ExpressVPN uses Lightway Turbo, its proprietary VPN protocol, which helps keep latency low and streaming smooth. You also get TrustedServer tech (RAM-only servers for zero data persistence), and a rock-solid no-logs policy that's been independently audited multiple times. Setup is ridiculously easy, and it's the kind of app you could install on your parents' Smart TV without worrying about it. It works across everything: PC, Mac, iPhone, Android, Linux, Fire TV, and even routers. Pricing starts at $5/month for a 24-month plan, and it includes a 30-day money-back guarantee. If you want a Colombian IP with top-tier privacy and a seamless user experience, ExpressVPN absolutely outperforms NordVPN. Try ExpressVPN Now 3. Private Internet Access Private Internet Access VPN surprised us in a good way. It's one of the few budget VPNs that actually offers real Colombian servers, physically based in Bogotá. That alone earns it serious points in a sea of fake location claims. Performance-wise, it held up decently. Speeds with PIA VPN were lower than NordVPN's, especially on mobile, but stability was solid. The app gives you insane customization options, like choosing between 128-bit or 256-bit AES encryption, tweaking protocols, or even setting per-app VPN rules. Great if you love fine-tuning. Private Internet Access VPN is also ridiculously affordable. It starts around $2 per month on long-term deals and comes with a 30-day refund policy. That said, it's not perfect. The interface is a bit clunky compared to others, and its unblocking performance on more sensitive Colombian platforms was hit or miss. Try Private Internet Access Now Final Words If you're outside Colombia and want to access geo-blocked content, use local services, or just browse like you're in Bogotá, getting a real Colombian IP address is the key. However, free VPNs rarely work, proxies are unreliable, and most VPNs don't even offer local servers. After hands-on testing, it's clear that NordVPN is the best way to obtain a Colombian IP from anywhere in 2025. It's one of the only top-tier VPN services with physical servers in Bogotá, plus airtight security, blazing speeds, and the tools to bypass restrictions without breaking a sweat. Whether you're watching Caracol Play, accessing your Colombian bank, or just staying private online, NordVPN gives you the full experience of being there, without actually being there.
Gizmodo
14-05-2025
- General
- Gizmodo
Disneyland 70
Don't Miss This: One of the Best VPNs Is Practically Free Right Now 5/13/2025, 6:00 pm
