Major VPN network to block 'despised and despicable' child sexual abuse material

Major VPN network to block 'despised and despicable' child sexual abuse material "I think it takes courage to be the first company to go out there and say, 'You know what? We're not going to tolerate this,'" Dr Peter Membrey told Sky News. Mickey Carroll Science and technology reporter Wednesday 4 March 2026 14:00, UK Why you can trust Sky News A major VPN service is becoming one of the first to block websites known for hosting child sexual abuse material . ExpressVPN is partnering with the Internet Watch Foundation , the UK's CSAM watchdog, to tackle the "universally despised and despicable" content, according to Dr Peter Membrey, chief engineering officer at the VPN provider. Using a "simple, well-scoped DNS control", he says user privacy will be protected and there'll be "no broken encryption", "no traffic inspection", "no monitoring". "It's deliberately straightforward, because privacy systems lose trust when they become opaque." The move is less about an impressive technological innovation and more about an ideological leap. 3:32 Share Social media's 'tobacco' moment? "No one's been willing to take this step before," Dr Membrey told Sky News. "For too long, too many [VPN providers] have had this concern about, 'If we take a stand, will there be a massive backlash because people won't understand?' More on Internet Safety Do you want to ban kids from social media? The government is asking Instagram to notify parents if teens search for suicide content Is social media messing up our kids? Spain's battle against doomscrolling schoolchildren Related Topics: Internet safety "I think it takes courage to be the first company to go out there and say, 'You know what? We're not going to tolerate this.'" Read more: AI willing to 'go nuclear' in wargames, study finds Do you want to ban kids from social media? AI could be giving US lethal edge in Iran war ExpressVPN will prevent access to all websites known to the IWF that are set up solely for the purposes of hosting child ...