Find out Whether VPNs are Legal in the UK
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Virtual Private Network or VPN is a common term amongst people who use the internet quite often and are also tech-savvy. Do you often visit the United Kingdom or do you stay there? In that case, you probably know about the various rules that are in place for monitoring various internet uses. In the year 2016, Investigatory Powers Act was passed that allowed the intelligence agencies and the British police to have limitless access to your online activities and information. It is true that as an internet user, you also have your rights to protect yourself. The best way to go about with it is to use VPN. It is highly effective in helping you avoid online surveillance. This is what often makes people wonder are VPNs in the UK legal.
Is It within Your Legal Rights to Use VPN in the UK?
If you wish to get the answer to this question in just a single word, the answer is “yes”. It is absolutely legal to use VPNs in the UK. There is no such law in the United Kingdom that can prevent or forbid you from using your VPN. However, there is a factor that you should be careful about when using VPNs. It is the VPN provider that you choose. If you search for a VPN provider, you will come across quite a few. Even if you choose a provider that operates out of the boundaries of the United Kingdom, it still falls under the legal jurisdiction of the Investigatory Powers Act. Just like any ISP, VPN service providers in the UK are also obligated by the law to provide any information to the British intelligence agencies and the police whenever required. In order to protect your online anonymity and privacy, it is always a good idea to choose a VPN provider that operates out of the UK.
Why Should You Use A VPN Located In The UK?
Whenever you use a British ISP and from whichever location, whether from office or your home, they are legally bound to log onto all the websites that you visit and all the online service that you use. All such information is retained with them for a year. During this period of a year, any one of the 48 UK authorities may request access to your list of ISP logs, that too without a warrant. In other words, they have the privilege to check everything that you do on the internet whenever they wish. There are several other questionable powers that the intelligence agencies and the British police enjoy. It is within the law for them to hack into any computer, tablet, smartphone or any other electronic device. Again, this is can be done whenever they wish. ISPs are bound by the law to help the authorities with such actions without asking any questions.
Thus, a VPN is the best and safest way to protect yourself in the United Kingdom. It encrypts all outbound and inbound traffic to and from your device.