The use of VPN It has increased a lot in recent years and that has not been liked by all sectors. As you know, they serve to encrypt the Internet connection, hide identity, but also to access certain services that may be geographically blocked. For example, if Netflix has a series only for Spain, someone from Italy would not be able to see it. That’s where this type of program comes into play that now the EU wants to ban.
End VPNs in Europe
But what has led to the European Union to make this controversial decision that affects the entire territory? Mainly the pressure of the big platforms. A VPN allows us to connect from anywhere in the world through a server hosted in another country. If we go back to the Netflix example, from Spain we could watch series and movies that are restricted to other territories, but also watch content from Spain when we are traveling.
This also applies to any web page or service that may have geographic restrictions. Even that a content in a territory is free and in others paid. Using a VPN, in a way, financially affects these platforms by losing potential subscribers who are looking for the same thing but cheaper or even free, in other countries.
In addition, VPNs are used to encrypt the connection and hide IP address. This will prevent them from knowing exactly where you are connecting from. To be able to track possible cybercrimes or to know who has written something in an illegal forum, for example, it becomes more difficult to track.
Blocked in other countries
Keep in mind that the fact that the EU wants to ban VPNs is no exception. There are countries where they have been illegal for quite some time. We can take as examples China, North Korea, Belarus or Turkmenistan. In these cases, it is mainly due to the censorship of their governments and being able to control communications without problems.
In nations where there are limitations to access platforms such as Google, Twitter or YouTube, the easiest way to bypass them is to use a VPN. A person connects through servers in Spain, for example, and they could enter without problems. And that is precisely what the governments of those countries do not want and they persecute the use of this type of software, in some cases with jail.
Now it is the turn of the European Union with its new regulations that will affect all 27 countries members. Accessing a VPN to be able to watch a Netflix series that is broadcast in another country, for example, will no longer be possible, at least it will not be legally possible. Nor use them to maintain security when connecting to a public Wi-Fi network and prevent personal data from being leaked, so this is totally detrimental to end users who want to protect their communications.
Will there be exceptions? Will we always have an option to install a VPN even if it is not legal? In time we will know. For the moment we leave you the link with the official EU document where you can see all the details. This document specifies both the legal implications and possible sanctions.
