this post was submitted on 27 Jan 2026
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[–] yetAnotherUser@lemmy.ca 30 points 16 hours ago (4 children)

If you live in the UK or in another country where porn is being restricted:

  • Talk with friends and family about getting a VPN (everyone says good things about Mullvad VPN, so it's probably one of the best choices)
  • Learn to use the Tor network (it's really easy to start, and unlike popular belief, Tor isn't only for illegal activities)
  • Pressure MPs that didn't vote in favor of the age verification bill by sending emails to them about it so that they fight (or keep fighting) this age verification nonsense.

You don't need to be a porn addict to do these things. In fact, they have started with porn, but they may as well keep going and fight for age verification in other types of content, making access to said content way more difficult. The best thing you can do right now is to learn to fight back.

[–] jmf@lemmy.dbzer0.com 5 points 5 hours ago (1 children)

Advertising for mullvad harms the peer2peer network. (They blocked port forwarding and won't be bringing it back)

What VPN(s) would you recommend?

[–] tankplanker@lemmy.world 4 points 5 hours ago (1 children)

UK is going to be requiring age verification for VPN access. https://reclaimthenet.org/uk-house-of-lords-votes-to-extend-age-verification-to-vpns

Will this mean all VPNs will comply? Obviously not, but the bigger names will either pull out or comply as we seeing with the bigger porn sites.

The next step after this will be criminalization of using a VPN without age verification.

[–] yetAnotherUser@lemmy.ca 1 points 6 minutes ago

Wait, WHAT? They already voted? I didn't expect that so soon...

[–] SethTaylor@lemmy.world 7 points 6 hours ago* (last edited 6 hours ago) (2 children)

If you live in the UK or in another country where porn is being restricted: Talk with friends and family

Hmmmmm... Maybe not though

" Help me, stepbro. I can't access PornHub anymore 🥹 "

[–] yetAnotherUser@lemmy.ca 1 points 2 minutes ago

I don't understand why it's so embarassing to talk about the fact that you watch pornography with family. Everybody does it, and it's not like you're going to start comparing porn movies, or showing your entire watch history one you ask someone "I can't access my usual porn websites, do you know of any workarounds?"

[–] UxyIVrljPeRl@lemmy.world 6 points 6 hours ago

Im stuck in age-verification

[–] rav3n@ttrpg.network 1 points 7 hours ago* (last edited 7 hours ago) (1 children)

Here's a free VPN that you can use: https://riseup.net/en/vpn

Try not to assume that there aren't free alternatives to what "the crowd" is constantly herding you to pay for. Do some digging, and you may be surprised by what you come across.

Most of the good stuff is buried underneath mountains of bullshit.

[–] boonhet@sopuli.xyz 3 points 7 hours ago (1 children)

The cost for us to offer RiseupVPN is approximately $60 USD per person per year. If you use the VPN, please consider donating at least this much. Thank you!

That's the same as Mullvad then, or more if you consider that everyone who can afford it should pay for more than their fair share because some can not.

[–] thatradomguy@lemmy.world 22 points 17 hours ago (5 children)

What would we even call a decentralized porn site?

[–] SethTaylor@lemmy.world 9 points 6 hours ago
[–] IronBird@lemmy.world 38 points 15 hours ago

circlejerk?

[–] pHr34kY@lemmy.world 4 points 14 hours ago

ActivityHub Dixelfed FedTube

[–] wuffah@lemmy.world 93 points 21 hours ago* (last edited 21 hours ago) (1 children)

Sexuality is a human right, and controlling sexuality is an authoritarian tactic to manufacture compliance.

“Age verification” is not just a tool for elimination of Internet privacy, it’s also a tool for sexual control.

[–] manualoverride@lemmy.world 23 points 20 hours ago (1 children)

Someone has been reading 1984… I’m not disagreeing with you, just saying ‘hi fellow doom reader’.

[–] danh2os@piefed.social 39 points 19 hours ago

Bro, we are living 1984.

[–] DeathByBigSad@sh.itjust.works 82 points 22 hours ago (1 children)

Hey I heard that theres a Very Pretty Neat trick for Brits to "travel abroad" effortlessly

[–] Maestro@fedia.io 12 points 22 hours ago (2 children)

Not really. They just announced they want to age gate VPNs too.

[–] DeathByBigSad@sh.itjust.works 8 points 18 hours ago* (last edited 18 hours ago) (1 children)

China doesn't even really allow VPNs at all, yet some people can still go over the firewall.

If it's just "age restriction", I'm sure there will suddenly be a lot of grandpa/grandmas buying VPNs¹

¹When China tried to restrict online video games, kids just used their grandparents IDs for verification lmfao

[–] timwa@lemmy.snowgoons.ro 6 points 18 hours ago (1 children)

China's VPN blocking is actually very, very effective, and the vast majority of people don't go around it.

And that's kinda the point - the controls don't have to be 100%, they just have to cover the majority. And for the few that do circumvent - well, that's just one more easy crime for the authorities to charge you with if they ever feel the need.

[–] DeathByBigSad@sh.itjust.works 5 points 17 hours ago* (last edited 17 hours ago)

the vast majority of people don’t go around it

That's because there's also a language barrier thing.

Exhibit A: My parents (born in China) are here in US and they just be using wechat all the time even without the firewall.

[–] r8KNzcU8TzCroexsE2xbWC@lemmy.ca 8 points 21 hours ago

So I guess no more internships at companies with more than one office.

[–] nondescripthandle@lemmy.dbzer0.com 37 points 20 hours ago

Yall may wanna step in and nip that kind of authoritarianism in the bud because it doesn't get easier when it's matured.

[–] nutsack@lemmy.dbzer0.com 10 points 16 hours ago (1 children)

sorry I don't know what any of these things are

[–] WhyIHateTheInternet@lemmy.world 4 points 12 hours ago

Username does not check out.

Or it absolutely checks out.

[–] warm@kbin.earth 62 points 22 hours ago (1 children)

Good job UK, you will push children to dangerous unmoderated sites instead! All in the name of state surveillance!

[–] manualoverride@lemmy.world 16 points 19 hours ago (1 children)

This will lead to, sexual blackmail of children, suicide and financial fraud.

You should thank the UK for sacrificing so many of its citizens to show the world what peak government stupidity looks like. We thought the point was made with Brexit, but the UK says “hold my beer” one more time.

[–] moopet@sh.itjust.works 2 points 5 hours ago (1 children)

You think it'll be the bad example other countries learn from, but loads of other countries are already following suit.

[–] manualoverride@lemmy.world 1 points 3 hours ago (1 children)

Ah yes America, the embodiment of “if he jumped off a cliff would you do it as well?” Followed by “Hold my Bud Light”

[–] moopet@sh.itjust.works 2 points 3 hours ago

I don't even mean the USA, loads of EU countries, Australia, etc.

[–] tidderuuf@lemmy.world 34 points 22 hours ago (1 children)

Oh no... Let's just Google what other porn sites are out there. Oh look 1,642,000 results found...

[–] floofloof@lemmy.ca 28 points 21 hours ago (1 children)

That's not the point. This is a protest by the company running these sites against a system that's not fit for its claimed purpose (age restriction of websites) but is very fit for surveillance.

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[–] devolution@lemmy.world 14 points 19 hours ago

Tally ho chaps. God hates wankers.

[–] RIotingPacifist@lemmy.world 26 points 22 hours ago (4 children)

There calling it NoFap February.

I think it will be interesting to see what happens as a result of cuting a population off from porn.

[–] tino_408@lemmy.world 29 points 22 hours ago (1 children)

They will just rely on illegal outlets now lol Can’t wait to see people locked up for porn lol one of the stupidest ways to spend government money lol

[–] RIotingPacifist@lemmy.world 27 points 22 hours ago* (last edited 22 hours ago) (1 children)

Oi there bruv, you got a liosence for that there wank

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[–] SuiXi3D@fedia.io 11 points 22 hours ago (1 children)

Texas did the same shit not long ago. VPN usage went through the roof, as expected.

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[–] WanderingThoughts@europe.pub 6 points 17 hours ago (1 children)

So that's why that back mirror episode with the pig was set in the UK. They knew.

[–] CosmoNova@lemmy.world 4 points 7 hours ago

It‘s a British series.

[–] Soulphite@reddthat.com 15 points 22 hours ago (2 children)

This leaves citizens with a torrent of questions.

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