00:04Welcome to Euronews fact-checking show, The Cube.
00:07What if the European Union restricted VPNs?
00:10That question has been circulating widely on social media in recent weeks,
00:15with some users warning what they described as a serious threat to digital freedom.
00:20But the controversy is largely based on a misunderstanding.
00:23It all began in January when the European Parliamentary Research Service
00:27published a briefing noting that virtual private networks, more commonly known as VPNs,
00:33are increasingly being used to bypass online age verification systems.
00:38Technically speaking, VPNs can indeed help users get around certain online restrictions.
00:43VPNs can hide a user's IP address and make it appear as though they are connecting from another country,
00:49potentially allowing minors to get around national age restrictions.
00:53The report quickly fueled claims that Brussels wanted to crack down on VPNs
00:57with some users pointing to references describing them as loopholes that needs closing.
01:03But the document is not an official EU position.
01:06It is simply a background briefing outlining different perspectives on the debate,
01:11not a proposal advocating restrictions on VPNs.
01:14There was yet more confusion after Anna Virkunen, the European Commissioner responsible for tech sovereignty and security,
01:21presented the EU's new age verification app.
01:24During a press conference, when asked how the EU could prevent minors from bypassing the systems using VPNs,
01:30Virkunen acknowledged that no technology is entirely foolproof,
01:34but maintained that the rules must nevertheless remain enforceable.
01:38That exchange fueled further confusion about the EU's position on VPNs,
01:42but she later clarified that the goal of the app is to make systems harder to bypass,
01:47not to restrict VPNs.
01:49And contacted by theCUBE, her office confirmed that there is absolutely no crackdown on VPNs.
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