Telecom heavyweight in France provokes wrath among Socialist legislators due to introduction of VPN service
In a move that has sparked controversy, French telecoms giant Free has launched a new VPN service called "mVPN" for its mobile subscribers. The service, which allows users to hide their IP address and place their location as if in Israel, has been criticised for potentially undermining child protection efforts.
Thierry Sother, a French Socialist MP, has accused Free of jeopardising child safety with the mVPN service. Sother argues that the tool opens the door for minors to evade France's new age-verification laws targeting pornography, which are due to be enforced by Arcom, the State's digital regulator.
The mVPN includes servers located outside of France, allowing it to bypass blocks on pornographic websites imposed in France. This has raised concerns that the service could potentially make a decision to ban social media access for children under 15 unenforceable.
The controversy surrounding Free's mVPN service comes as concern about online age verification has been growing in Europe. The Law to Secure the Digital Space (SREN), passed in May, requires pornographic websites accessible in France to implement strict age checks from early 2026.
Notably, UK-based adult content site Pornhub's parent company, Canada's Aylo, has pulled its website from the French market in protest of the restrictions. Following Aylo's decision, France saw a surge in VPN demand.
A coalition of European citizens has launched a campaign aimed at repealing what they describe as the European Union's "intrusive" and "dangerous" online age verification measures. On the other hand, some users have welcomed Free's mVPN service as a win for online privacy.
One Free subscriber stated that the mVPN is a major step for privacy and an additional tool for French people to defend themselves against new censorship measures. The mVPN service lasts 12 hours per activation and is available to all 4G and 5G customers at no extra cost.
The TikTok inquiry commission has already shown the urgent need to better protect minors online. Sother warns that Free's decision to launch the mVPN service risks "jeopardising" the State's wider agenda of online controls. If unregulated, the mVPN service could pre-empt and jeopardize the French legislator's ability to introduce further restrictions or prohibitions on access to certain websites from within France.
Sother has written a letter to French digital regulator Acorm expressing his concerns about the mVPN's potential impact on child safety. The French Digital Minister, who is currently questioning whether social media should be banned for children under 15 years old, is not explicitly named in the provided search results.
As the debate continues, it remains to be seen how the French government will address these concerns and balance the need for child protection with the rights of adults to privacy and free access to online content.
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