The Proposed VPN Ban & Why It Matters To You & Your Privacy
Well, pack it up, Michigan. The right to privacy on the internet is on life support again—and this time, the hit comes from your own lawmakers. A new proposal, charmingly titled the “Anticorruption of Public Morals Act,” is making headlines for trying to do what even your nosy ex couldn’t: stop you from hiding what you do online.
The bill doesn’t just target the usual suspects—adult sites or AI-generated “content”—it wants to make using or selling a VPN illegal. Yes, the same tool that protects you from hackers, creepy trackers, and suspicious free Wi-Fi networks at coffee shops. According to the bill, VPNs and similar “circumvention tools” are now seen as morally corrupt. Which, if you’ve ever used one to check your work email securely, might come as news.
The Rising Threat to VPNs
The Bill That Wants to Be China When It Grows Up
Michigan’s proposal reads like it was copy-pasted from a digital censorship manual. It seeks to block a buffet of online content, from ASMR videos to AI art, even depictions of transgender people and throws VPNs, proxies, and encrypted tunnels into the same “bad influence” category.
ISPs (Internet Service Providers) would be forced to sniff out and block VPN traffic, with fines climbing up to $500,000 for anyone caught breaking digital curfew. If passed, Michigan would earn the dubious honor of becoming the first U.S. state to outlaw VPN use, joining the elite club of internet regulators like China, Iran, and Russia—not exactly the freedom-loving company most Americans aspire to keep.
This comes amid a bigger global pattern: the slow suffocation of digital privacy. Age-verification and content laws in the U.S. and U.K. have already driven VPN usage through the roof. Because when you make people prove who they are just to browse, they’ll naturally look for a digital disguise.
Why VPNs Matter Beyond Streaming
To be clear, VPNs aren’t just for watching The Office on foreign Netflix catalogs. They’re the digital equivalent of closing your curtains; basic privacy hygiene.
A VPN (Virtual Private Network) hides your internet traffic, meaning nobody nor your ISP, hackers, advertisers, or even the government can see what you’re doing. It’s the difference between whispering in a crowded room and shouting through a megaphone.
They also protect you from being hacked on public Wi-Fi, which is where a shocking number of cyberattacks begin. Journalists use VPNs to protect sources, remote workers use them to connect securely, and activists in censored countries use them to access the outside world.
Case in point: In 2025, Nepalese activists used VPNs to organize protests and communicate safely after their government banned social media. The same tech that helps you stream TV abroad is what helps people fight for democracy. Not quite the “moral corruption” some lawmakers are suggesting.
What a VPN Ban Would Mean for You
If Michigan’s proposed VPN ban ever sees daylight, the fallout won’t stop at the state border. Kill VPNs, and you’re basically handing over your online privacy with a polite bow. No more encrypted browsing, no more masked IPs, naked in the digital wind, waiting for cybercriminals, data brokers, and whoever else wants a peek.
And that’s not even the worst part. A sweeping ban like this would almost certainly cause “collateral damage” while legit websites and platforms getting caught in the crossfire. Think news outlets, health forums, or education sites suddenly blocked because someone’s algorithm got overzealous. The U.S. internet, once the wild west of open access, could start looking more like a gated community with way too many security guards and not enough common sense.
The Technical Reality: Can VPNs Be Banned?
Sure, lawmakers can draft all the VPN bans they want, but enforcing one? That’s where things get annoying. Internet providers could try using deep packet inspection (a fancy term for digital eavesdropping) or block lists of known VPN servers.
Most services use obfuscation, which basically makes VPN traffic look like normal web browsing. Many have gone further with RAM-only servers (meaning no data sticks around) and no-log policies (so there’s nothing to seize even if someone tried). To actually pull off a VPN ban, the government would need constant surveillance, never-ending tech upgrades, and probably an army of overworked IT people.
Bottom line: banning VPNs is not only unrealistic but it is also technologically clumsy and ethically questionable. And if history’s any guide, the harder you try to block privacy tools, the faster people find new ways to use them.
Simply put, banning VPNs is impractical and intrusive.
The Backlash and Public Response
The announcement of the Michigan bill sparked swift opposition. Digital rights organization Fight for the Future launched a VPN Day of Action, gathering over 15,000 signatures from VPN users, activists, and civil society groups, urging lawmakers to protect access to privacy tools.
Lia Holland, the group’s campaigns and communications director, said VPNs are “one of our last tools for online privacy, safety, and censorship-free knowledge.” The initiative also gained support from the VPN Trust Initiative, which includes NordVPN, Surfshark, and ExpressVPN.
Advocates warn that such legislation, even if it fails, shifts the political conversation toward more restrictive internet policies. They urge the public to remain vigilant and involved before similar measures spread to other states.
Online privacy relies on awareness and consistent action.
The Bigger Picture: A Test for Digital Freedom
The Michigan VPN bill might never make it past committee, but its very existence says a lot about where the internet is headed and it’s not all good news. Behind the shiny slogans of “protecting morality” and “keeping kids safe,” there’s a growing tug-of-war between public safety narratives and personal digital freedom. And as history tends to remind us, once you start policing the internet for “good intentions,” it rarely stops there.
It’s about letting people decide how they connect, learn, and communicate online without someone peeking over their shoulder. Privacy advocates have been saying it for years: the internet should be a space for curiosity, not constant monitoring.
How this debate plays out could shape the next chapter of online rights. Whether it’s signing petitions, calling out bad policy, or just knowing who (and what) you’re voting for, users still have a say in what kind of digital environment they want to live in. One where privacy is a privilege, or one where it’s still a basic right.
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