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for jan

A New Bill Aims to Ban Both Adult Content Online and VPN Use. Could It Work? [cnet.com]:

On Sept. 11, Michigan representatives proposed an internet content ban bill unlike any of the others we've seen: This particularly far-reaching legislation would ban not only many types of online content, but also the ability to legally use any VPN.

The bill, called the Anticorruption of Public Morals Act [mi.gov] and advanced by six Republican representatives, would ban a wide variety of adult content online, ranging from ASMR and adult manga to AI content [cnet.com] and any depiction of transgender people. It also seeks to ban all use of VPNs [cnet.com], foreign or US-produced. 

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VPNs (virtual private networks) are suites of software often used as workarounds to avoid similar bans that have passed in states like Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi, as well as the UK. They can be purchased with subscriptions or downloaded, and are built into some browsers and Wi-Fi routers [google.com] as well.

But Michigan's bill would charge internet service providers with detecting and blocking VPN use [cnet.com], as well as banning the sale of VPNs [cnet.com] in the state. Associated fines would be up to $500,000.

What the ban could mean for VPNs

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