Overview
- Aylo cut off Australian users from nude content on Pornhub and sister sites to protest rules that took effect Monday requiring age checks for adult sites, certain games and some AI chatbots, with noncompliant platforms facing fines up to $49.5 million.
- Independent app-store data shows a surge in VPN interest since March 5, with Proton VPN, NordVPN and Surfshark climbing Australian rankings as searches for “VPN” spike.
- Researchers flagged a wave of dubious free VPNs rising up the charts, including VPN – Super Unlimited Proxy, which Exodus Privacy reports has 28 trackers and 40 permissions on Android.
- Australians are attempting to bypass checks by connecting to servers in countries without such laws, though efficacy is inconsistent and the eSafety Commissioner expects services to detect VPN use and curb workarounds.
- VPNs are legal in Australia, but they do not legalize illegal activity or override private terms of service, and reviewers advise sticking to audited, paid options such as NordVPN, Proton, Surfshark, ExpressVPN or low-cost PrivadoVPN.