France passes age‑verification law, raising VPN and ISP privacy concerns

The French National Assembly has approved a law requiring age verification for users of social‑media platforms. The measure, announced by the minister delegated to digital affairs, is intended to protect minors online, but officials warned that virtual‑private networks (VPNs) can be used to bypass the checks. A practical guide explains what VPNs actually protect, their limitations, and how to select a properly audited service.

Separately, technical analysis shows that even when users browse sites over HTTPS, internet service providers can still see the domain names visited through unencrypted DNS queries. While the content of pages remains encrypted, the metadata can be logged, and French law obliges operators to retain connection data for a year, accessible to authorities. Using DNS‑over‑HTTPS (DoH) is recommended to prevent ISP visibility of site names.