The UK Chapter of the Internet Society has signed the Mozilla Join Statement on urging UK policymakers not to undermine the open web in their efforts to protect young people online. This Statement was announced on the Mozilla blog on 5 May 2026.
Mozilla has joined a coalition of 19 digital rights organizations and technology providers in a joint statement, urging UK policymakers not to undermine the open web in their efforts to protect young people online.
The Statement argues that keeping the Internet open, private and secure is essential, and warns that policies such as mandatory age verification and VPN restrictions threaten these principles. The UK’s consultation on online harms considers age‑gating a wide range of services, which would require all users to undergo intrusive and often unreliable age‑assurance checks. The Statement notes that these systems risk harming privacy, entrenching dominant platforms, and fragmenting the web.
We are particularly concerned about proposals to restrict VPNs, which are widely used for legitimate privacy and security purposes. Instead of expanding age‑restricted services, the Joint Statement urges policymakers to focus on the underlying causes of online harms: poor moderation, irresponsible data practices and deceptive design – while protecting children’s rights, user choice and the open web.
Full Statement
https://blog.mozilla.org/netpolicy/files/2026/05/UK-joint-statement-against-age-gates_final.pdf