Considering how many people need to use VPNs to telecommute, this seems like it would be a non-starter. But you can't discount the sheer stupidity and hubris of Republicans these days.

Banning VPNs would be an unmitigated disaster and anyone who suggests that it's a good idea has absolutely no idea what they're talking about and should never be allowed to make tech policy again because they are a massive idiot.

Businesses, institutions, and even the government itself all require the use of VPNs to remain secure. VPNs are vital to functioning IT infrastructure everywhere.

Additionally, such a move wouldn't even stop people from accessing porn (which isn't even what VPNs are for), all it would really do is break IT security everywhere.

That could spell trouble for VPN owners and other internet users who leverage these tools to improve their privacy, protect their identities online, prevent ISPs from gathering data about them or increase their device safety when browsing on public Wi-Fi.

Is the extent of their knowledge on VPNs just what they heard from a NordVPN commercial? Not once in the article do they mention corporate VPNs.

Unfortunately this is becoming enough of "A Thing" that the left is going to have to, once again, be seen doing "something" about it.

I completely disagree with this sentiment and any Democrat that agrees with this isn't on "the left, but one more diet-Republican who exists solely to legitimize everything the right is doing at every turn.

[...] would ban a wide variety of adult content online, [... including] any depiction of transgender people.

Obviously will fail. Not because it blatantly violates the first amendment, or because banning VPNs is absurd: but because it would hinder republicans from secretly jerking it to femboys.

Um, how the actual fuck are businesses supposed to operate where some regressive dumbfucks have outlawed VPNs?

Also, never underestimate the ability of a set of dumbasses doing some damage to this country - for one thing, see the asshole in the WH right now doing all kinds of self-owns to this country.

Secondly, I'm old enough to remember things like the V-chip and the Clipper chip and the government going after Phil Zimmerman. All of these things were rather stupid. And that was during the Clinton administration, which, sure, they were right-leaning as well....were not fucking crazy right wing.

NO VPN!

And the corporate world comes to a screeching halt.

These fuckwads don't even understand anything about what they're trying to legislate.

When shit starts being monitored, I want to see the legislators' traffic public first.

The trans bit is key here. First that, then anything “promoting homosexuality”. It’s in Project 2025 that the porn bans are about criminalising LGBTQ people and allies.

is it doesn’t address the issue of youth access to porn. I think any semi-intelligent person knows this is a parenting issue

There sure are a lot of stupid fucking people then, huh?

Unfortunately this is becoming enough of “A Thing” that the left is going to have to, once again, be seen doing “something”

Personally I think the left should hammer in on "The right are too lazy and incompetent to raise their kids. They want the government to do it for them. No one who's too unwilling or unable to spend time with their kids should be in government" or something like that. Just rub their noses in how stupid, lazy, and incompetent, the right is. Because they are. They are the worst people.

Bro can we not?

I thought I got lucky to be born into a family that was able to leave China, and I could browse the internet freely in the US. What the fuck y'all? Just let me have my unlimited access to entertainment in peace mmkay?

So... fucking... cooked...

Blatent First Amendment violation.

I mean what even is gonna be the difference between fucking CCP and this BS.

(Canadaaa plssss lemmme innn? 🥺👉👈❓️
Australia? 👀)

Can we get a list of the names of the representatives supporting this?

Any other identifiable information would be great as well.

Fuck this social contract.

All vpns including ones for work? Not a snowballs chance in hell

Will it ban their Grindr access though?

Release the Epstein files

It's never been about the children, either. It's been about reigning control and power which is why a lot of Liberals get on board with these bills too. One of the reasons i felt so disgusted to vote for Hillary Clinton was because of her stance on censorship in the 90's. Today it's succeeding in porn. Tomorrow it will start succeeding in literature.

The representatives proposing this bill must have some really embarrassing search history.

"If you removed all the porn from the internet you would be left with one website, titled "Bring Back the Porn""

yup. businesses, military installations, federal government offices. all need to relocate out of michigan. don't even matter if it passes should assume it might come back up. Safer to get out and stay out.

VPNs (virtual private networks) are suites of software often used as workarounds to avoid similar bans that have passed in states like Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi, as well as the UK. They can be purchased with subscriptions or downloaded, and are built into some browsers and Wi-Fi routers as well.

I don't think the author understands what a VPN is, or is trying to legitimize the proposed ban... Or maybe both.

This is a test balloon. One state is needed to overcome all the technical hurdles like clearing VPNs for work. Once that is done it will be roled out everywhere.

Without ruling out VPNs, all the other internet laws don't make sense. So this step is necessary and almost inevitable.

It seems quite obvious to me that this will, in fact, not work. I'd even argue that nobody wants it to work. Only to introduce a law that a lot of people will break at some point, to have an excuse to target them later in the future if the need arises.

No project like this will produce any significant results in any western country. It's simply impossible to implement without full supervision and control over the entire Internet. China was able to block all online porn due to having such infrastructure. And that was possible due to a vastly different culture. We don't.

In general, the issue of widespread pornography is very analogous to climate change. We've been warned about this for decades, and yet, have done nothing to prevent it. All we can, and in my opinion should be doing, is limiting its presence in our societies, especially in the context of children. This would no doubt involve online ID verification at some stage, though that can be done with respect towards privacy.

The bill, called the Anticorruption of Public Morals Act and advanced by six Republican representatives, would ban a wide variety of adult content online, ranging from ASMR and adult manga to AI content and any depiction of transgender people.

Also, what's up with targetting ASMR? It has no inherent relation to adult content. The transgender people part isn't surprising and we know where that's coming from.

Someone check the browser history of the 6 GOPers pushing a "morality" bill.

I just masturbated to these representatives. Legally that makes them pornography, and they are also required to be banned under this bill's provisions.

Corporate media's job is to manufacture consent. Please do not accept their spin uncritically.

This has nothing to do with kids or porn, those are always easy bells for censors to ring. It's about control and tracking. They want to be able to tie anonymous online activity to your real identity.

Politically, we really need to stop accepting their framing that they're trying to protect kids. These bills are only about collecting data.