AI, age verification and censorship: how the VPN industry tackled 2025's biggest issues – and what it plans to do next
2025 was a "turning point" that proved challenging for even the top VPNs
(Image credit: Proton)
The VPN industry faced significant challenges in 2025, navigating age verification, AI and increasing internet censorship. According to Himmat Bains, Product Lead for Norton VPN, it was a “turning point where online privacy shifted from a niche concern to a mainstream expectation.
With that in mind, I spoke to NordVPN, Proton VPN and Norton VPN to find out the biggest events of the past 12 months and to hear what they’re excited about in 2026.
The rise (and risk) of AI
AI may have become a staple of everyday life for many, but it’s not without its risks. “There is growing concern about large language models (LLMs) being hacked or used in large-scale cyberattacks,” said Marijus Briedis, NordVPN Chief Technical Officer.
He warned that criminals are now using “AI to create convincing impersonations of customers or employees, making scams more difficult to detect.”
There is growing concern about large language models (LLMs) being hacked or used in large-scale cyberattacks.”
Marijus Briedis, NordVPN Chief Technical Officer
To counter this worrying trend, NordVPN added a scam email checking tool to its Threat Protection Pro feature in 2025, alongside new crypto wallet address checking, hijacked session alerts, and adult site blocking. It also launched its new call protection service, providing another layer of protection against scam phone calls.
Norton VPN is also tackling AI scams as part of its quest to challenge the very best VPNs – a sign of how big this issue could become in 2026.
Mike Healey, Norton VPN’s Comms Lead, said that around 90% of the threats they detect are scams, so the company is focusing on developing the tools necessary to help people stay protected.
Despite these renewed efforts, expect AI to continue to pose a threat to people’s privacy in the coming months – from AI-enabled scams, to LLM-enabled cyberattacks.
The spread of age verification measures
Online age verification measures became nearly as commonplace as AI in 2025, as countries scrambled to protect children from accessing harmful content.
However, critics warn that this approach may have a negative impact on people’s privacy. As NordVPN’s Briedis explains, “these laws are very fragmented and in some cases, force customers to disclose sensitive personal information to third-party processors.”
“The effects of these developments are not yet clear for minors and adults alike."
Marijus Briedis, NordVPN Chief Technical Officer
“The effects of these developments are not yet clear for minors and adults alike, and we sincerely hope it won’t turn out to become a cybersecurity or privacy disaster,” Bredis added.
