Legislation, loopholes, and loose ends — what does 2026 hold for the VPN industry?

VPNs have never faced more scrutiny. In the past year, the industry has navigated intense pressure while helping people circumvent age verification, streamers overcome geo-restrictions, and protesters avoid social media blocks.

Will anything change in 2026? It looks unlikely.

2026's biggest dilemma

Age verification is set to become a defining topic of the year. As most countries continue to implement processes that can be bypassed by using a VPN, these privacy tools will continue to be a talking point well into 2026.

The key dilemma for governments is whether they can implement child safety measures on devices in a way that makes VPNs redundant. SafeToNet’s collaboration with HMD ...