Advocates Launch Second Defend VPNs Day of Action as Governments Tighten Rules

The campaign, which the group says drew about 20,000 participants in its first year in 2025, is run through DefendVPNs.com. Supporters can sign a letter to government leaders that describes VPNs as an essential tool for privacy and access to information. The site also connects users by phone to their lawmakers' offices and provides a suggested script.

Several VPN providers have joined the effort. Amnezia VPN and IPVanish have announced their support and are encouraging users to sign the petition, and Surfshark is listed as a supporter.

According to Fight for the Future, VPN bans and restrictions rarely appear on their own. They are most often bundled into age verification bills, or "online ID checks," that require people to prove their age before reaching certain sites. Advocates argue the stakes go beyond adult content, saying the most vulnerable users rely on VPNs to reach loved ones, seek healthcare and find information that is increasingly locked behind ID checks and biometric scans.

"Using VPNs is not criminal," said Sarah Philips, campaign director at Fight for the Future. She added that using VPNs is a right that must be defended from governments that are, in her words, doing their best to break down what little privacy remains in the current tech landscape.

The past year has brought a series of measures. In Wisconsin, lawmakers scrapped a provision that would have forced sites to block VPN users after widespread backlash, while Utah's SB 73 made that state the first in the U.S. to target VPNs in an age verification law. A proposed "public morals" bill in Michigan would make internet service providers block VPNs and impose fines of up to $500,000 for promoting them; that bill remains in play.

In the United Kingdom, ministers ruled out age-gating or banning VPNs, but platforms are now expected to stop users from circumventing age checks themselves. Australian officials have explored ways to block age verification workarounds, and the European Union has signaled that VPNs could be next after announcing a social media ban for teenagers. In Brazil, VPN use became an aggravating factor in crimes, according to Reclaim The Net.

In Russia, Human Rights Watch reported this week that at least 469 VPNs had been blocked by February, with authorities now turning to bulk IP blocks and app store takedowns. Amnezia VPN itself was targeted in June and needed about six weeks to recover fully.

With youth social media bans spreading to Indonesia, Malaysia and the United Arab Emirates, Fight for the Future warns that VPNs will face only more scrutiny. The group says anyone who wants to add their voice can do so at DefendVPNs.com.