Wisconsin reverses decision to ban VPNs in age verification bill

After a wave of criticism, Wisconsin lawmakers decided not to include a ban on VPN services in an age verification law that is making its way through the state legislature.

Wisconsin Senate Bill 130 (and its sister General Assembly Bill No. 105), which was introduced in March 2025, aims to prevent companies from “Publishing or distributing material harmful to minorsUnless there is a “reasonable” way to verify the age of individuals trying to access the site.

One provision required companies to block people from accessing their sites through a “VPN system or VPN provider.”

A VPN It allows you to access the Internet over an encrypted connection, allowing you to bypass firewalls and unblock geo-restricted websites and streaming content. While using a VPN, your IP address and physical location are hidden, and your ISP does not know which websites you visit.

Wisconsin State Senator from Wangard Move to delete this provision In legislation, thus freeing VPNs from any liability. State Council Agree to unblock VPNThe bill now awaits the signature of Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers.

Wisconsin’s shift is “great news,” says Rendala Alagaji, associate director of state affairs at the digital freedom nonprofit Electronic Frontier Foundation.

“This shows the power of public advocacy and resistance,” Al-Ajaji says. “Politicians listened to VPN users who shared their concerns and concerns, and experts who explained how blocking would not work.”

Earlier this week, the EFF wrote Open letter Arguing that the bills “did not meaningfully advance the goal of keeping young people safe online.” The EFF said that blocking VPNs would harm many groups that rely on this software for private and secure Internet communications, including “businesses, universities, journalists, and private citizens,” and that “many law enforcement professionals, veterans, and small business owners rely on VPNs to use the Internet safely.”

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VPNs can also help you get around age verification laws – for example, if you live in a state or country that requires age verification to access certain material, you can use a VPN to make it look like you live somewhere else, and thus access that material. As age restriction laws increase across the United States, VPN usage has also increased. However, many people use free VPNs, which are… Fertile ground for cybercriminals.

In its letter to Wisconsin lawmakers before the repeal, the EFF argued that it was “impractical” to require websites to block VPN users from accessing adult content. The EFF said such sites cannot “reliably determine” where a VPN customer lives — it could be any US state or even other countries.

“As a result, covered websites will face an impossible choice: either block all VPN users everywhere, disable access for millions of people across the country, or stop providing services in Wisconsin altogether,” EFF wrote.

Wisconsin isn’t the only state considering a VPN ban to prevent access to adult material. last year, Michigan introduced the Public Indecency Anti-Corruption Actwhich would prohibit all use of VPNs. If passed, it would force ISPs to detect and block VPN use as well as ban the sale of VPNs in the state. Fines may reach $500,000.