Iran Plans to Cut Global Internet Access

**2026 marks enforcement year for age verification laws** that swept the U.S. and UK in 2025. The open internet is rapidly transforming into a surveilled space requiring: - Mandatory ID checks - Facial scans - Location tracking - Continuous monitoring What was borderless is now walled and watched. **Privacy tools like VPNs, proxies, and encryption** aren't workarounds—they're essential shields for maintaining digital freedom. This shift follows a pattern: Spain banning social media for under-16s, France targeting VPNs after blocking platforms for under-15s, and Austria implementing ID verification. The UK plans VPN restrictions for under-18s, while platforms like Minecraft, Roblox, and TikTok now demand ID scans just to access basic features. **The concern**: Age verification systems require everyone to prove identity, creating massive databases of personal data vulnerable to breaches. Kids bypass these systems easily, while adults lose anonymity. Stay informed and protect your access to an open internet.

An EU court adviser issued a significant ruling on digital rights after a Dutch foundation geo-blocked Anne Frank manuscripts online. When rights holders argued that VPNs made this protection illegal, the adviser determined that: - **Geo-blocking doesn't need to be unbreakable** to be legally valid - **Neutral tools like VPNs aren't guilty by default** for how users employ them This decision could have practical implications for internet users: - Slower rollout of mandatory ID verification systems - Reduced pressure for invasive surveillance measures - Less restrictive digital borders - Continued access for students abroad and privacy-conscious users The ruling establishes an important precedent that technology providers shouldn't be held liable simply because their tools *can* be used to circumvent restrictions. [Read the full analysis](https://www.mysteriumvpn.com/blog/news/eu-court-backs-vpn-neutrality)

**Turkey proposes sweeping gaming regulation that could devastate digital access** A new draft law in Turkey threatens the country's 47 million gamers with potential loss of their digital game libraries. The legislation would require platforms like Steam, Epic Games, PlayStation, and Xbox to: - Establish local offices in Turkey - Comply with age rating systems - Follow vague cultural content rules - Face fines, throttling, or content bans for non-compliance **Up to 60% of Steam's library could disappear** if platforms choose to comply with restrictive content rules. More concerning, major gaming platforms might simply withdraw from the Turkish market entirely rather than navigate the complex regulatory requirements. For Turkish gamers, this means purchased games, saved progress, and entire digital libraries could vanish overnight. While the government positions the law as child protection, it represents broader control over online spaces and digital content. This case highlights a growing global trend: **platforms wielding power to silently filter speech and alter purchased content**. Gaming serves as a clear example of how conditional access and ownership are becoming the norm, raising serious questions about digital rights and platform accountability in an increasingly regulated internet landscape.

The UK is establishing mass biometric surveillance systems through regulatory frameworks and oversight language. **Current trajectory:** - Facial recognition deployment today - Emotion detection systems on the horizon - Behavior prediction technology next The concern centers on how legal precedents, once established, tend to expand rather than contract. What begins as targeted security measures can evolve into routine population monitoring integrated into everyday policing. This follows earlier 2025 reports of plans for mandatory digital IDs by 2029, which would include: - Required phone-based identification - Unchangeable biometric data - Centralized systems vulnerable to breaches The pattern suggests a gradual shift from voluntary to mandatory biometric systems, framed as security enhancements while creating infrastructure for widespread monitoring. The debate continues around whether these measures genuinely improve public safety or represent a fundamental shift in the relationship between citizens and state surveillance capabilities.