Due to regional regulations and international restrictions, Polymarket is blocked in 33 countries and many territories. But people in those locations could, theoretically, use a VPN or virtual private network to hide their real location. According to The Information, Polymarket has now made it harder to use a VPN. It is blocking certain IP addresses associated with the VPN and blocking accounts with suspicious connection patterns.
Polymarket could risk regulatory action if it doesn’t start implementing its official policy, The Information reported.
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The report states that Polymarket is apparently asking some customers for their identification in order to “access faster trading technology.” As TechRadar reports, this marks a change from the market’s previous model of anonymous trading.
The news comes amid a widespread crackdown on VPNs in the US and elsewhere. Utah is now banning the use of VPNs to visit porn sites, although this law will not take effect on aylo websites like Pornhub until September. The UK is also considering a VPN ban for children after usage increased following the implementation of its age verification law, the Online Protection Act.
Age verification laws require proof of age, such as a government ID or facial scan, to view explicit material or otherwise deemed “harmful to minors”. Two studies on the increased laws say they do not work to keep minors away from porn sites, and instead infringe on the First Amendment rights of adults as is the case with US laws.
Last year, First Amendment experts warned Mashable that VPN restrictions amounted to “second-order censorship.” When people work around the initial law, in this case, age verification occurs, then further rules apply.
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