Last Update: May 31, 2021
Living or traveling in the United Kingdom may have placed you in a situation where you will ask ‘is VPN illegal in UK?’. Since the country has established rules that monitor internet use through the passing of its Investigatory Powers Act last 2016, the British police, as well as the UK’s intelligence agencies, have unprecedented access to your online activities and information. With this, any person who resides or travels in the UK has a good reason for protecting themselves.
The best solution when it comes to keeping your online privacy and your sensitive information is using a VPN. A virtual private network or VPN is a software that you can use to keep yourself protected from prying eyes of third-parties like the cyberthief, government, and even your internet service provider or ISP.
However, aside from the advantages of VPN, this software also has its share of drawbacks. One of these is the fact that VPNs are very effective when it comes to evading online surveillance that can be used in various unlawful ways. This is why many people are still wondering whether it is legal to use a VPN in the UK.
Yes! That is the short and on-point answer to this very common question ‘is VPN legal in the UK?’. Using privacy software in the United Kingdom is legal. No United Kingdom law will tell you to never use a VPN. But you should follow the country’s guidelines when it comes to using the software. So, as long as you are using a VPN in the right way, you are on the bright side.
However, there is one important thing that you need to be careful about, and that is choosing the VPN provider that you would want to use. When you get some time to look for the best VPNs, you will realize that you have many options in the market. Some of these VPN services are operating outside of the United Kingdom, and it will still make you a subject that falls under the Investigatory Powers Act.
VPN services that are operating in the United Kingdom to make sure that the company is following the country’s law when it comes to providing information to the police as well as intelligence agencies when needed.
If you want to protect your anonymity and online privacy in a guaranteed way, you need to pick the best VPN outside the United Kingdom. In this way, you can mask your IP address and keep your identity from those who will be interested in it without worrying about the question ‘are VPNs legal UK?’
A VPN is a connection method that people are utilizing to boost privacy and security to public or private networks. When a person is using the best UK VPN, he can hide the different activities that he is doing online, as well as his sensitive information like personal data, usernames and passwords, and many more.
When VPN providers started this service, the initial market was corporations since they needed to protect their data from whoever would benefit from it. But for the past years, VPN providers are also utilized by individuals, so they have increased their privacy and protect their identity.
Since their IP address is being masked by a server, no third-party can tell who is who, and even ISP will never get the idea that certain traffic is from one of its subscribers. Since this service is used by many individuals, many companies have been offering a virtual private network for free.
These companies are also competing to provide the cheapest VPN in the UK. Users have many options when utilizing VPNs. But regardless of your VPN service, whether it is a free or paid one, the main purpose of VPNs is security and privacy.
There is no black, and white answer to the question ‘are VPNs legal?’ since there are countries where the privacy software is considered as not legal to use. But since we are talking about the United Kingdom, the answer is NO. VPNs are legal in the United Kingdom, and anyone who resides or visits the country can use any privacy software that they wish to use.
This is part of their freedom, especially if they want to protect their identity and privacy online. Sometimes, users are utilizing this service to keep their identity from any copyright issues on the internet. This is why torrenting a VPN is getting popular nowadays. With reliable privacy software, you can keep your identity online while getting the most out of your torrenting experience.
However, utilizing a VPN service must comply with the United Kingdom’s guidelines about this privacy tool. Users cannot just do anything unlawful just because they will never be identified online. With this, we can say using privacy software is legal in the United Kingdom. It only becomes unlawful if the users choose to do an unlawful activity with the help of privacy software.
No. It is not unlawful to use a VPN for Netflix UK. There is no illegal activity involved when you are using privacy software to access Netflix UK and other streaming services like BBC iPlayer.
However, while a privacy tool is legal to use, some VPNs can slow down your internet when you are connecting to one of their servers. For this reason, you need to be careful in choosing your privacy software provider. Make sure that they can offer you privacy and security without sacrificing the comfort and ease of watching your favorite movies or series in Netflix UK.
Clarifying is VPN legal in UK, segues to the question of where is it illegal. Here is the list of the countries that have banned or tagged the use of privacy software is unlawful. These countries have either blocked the VPNs utilizing technological barriers, or they have passed laws that will prohibit the use of this service.
Using privacy software is the safest and easiest solution when it comes to protecting yourself in the UK, and any part of the world. This tool is responsible for encrypting all the traffic that goes in and out of your device, whether it is a laptop, desktop, smartphone, or tablet. A privacy tool can also make you appear like you are somewhere else when the reality is you are within the border of the United Kingdom.
It’s time to stop asking ‘is VPN illegal in UK?’ because the answer is obvious – it is NOT unlawful. You can protect your identity and online activities as much as you want. That is your right, and you are free to practice it.
