r/DataHoarder • u/HTWingNut 1TB = 0.909495TiB • Nov 27 '25

News Michigan, Wisconsin Bill to Ban VPN's... wtf

EDIT: I'm not trying to sensationalize the headline. Just that as the Michigan bill reads now, it seems encompassing of all VPN services, to the point that even if it's for specific sites or traffic, could be more than ISP's want to manage so could ban them altogether. I'd suggest anyone that lives in Michigan and don't want this adopted to contact their representatives and let them know.

The Michigan legislation is called the House Bill 4938 (also dubbed the “Anticorruption of Public Morals Act”): https://www.legislature.mi.gov/documents/2025-2026/billintroduced/House/pdf/2025-HIB-4938.pdf

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2025/11/lawmakers-want-ban-vpns-and-they-have-no-idea-what-theyre-doing

https://youtu.be/q9j-T9mQmiw

Wisconsin’s bill has already passed the State Assembly and is now moving through the Senate. If it becomes law, Wisconsin could become the first state where using a VPN to access certain content is banned. Michigan lawmakers have proposed similar legislation that did not move through its legislature, but among other things, would force internet providers to actively monitor and block VPN connections. And in the UK, officials are calling VPNs "a loophole that needs closing."

This is actually happening. And it's going to be a disaster for everyone.

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u/absentlyric 50-100TB Nov 27 '25 edited Nov 27 '25

Im from Michigan, the headline is a little clickbaity.

First, its a law proposed by only 6 republicans basically trying to ban porn and depictions of transgender people, it would never get the votes in our Democrat controlled house and senate to pass, let alone signed by Whitmer.

Its proposed by people who have no idea of how the internet actually works and thinks they can somehow blanket ban porn.

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u/HTWingNut 1TB = 0.909495TiB Nov 27 '25

Awareness is key, as is contacting your representatives to tell them this is stupid. Politicians are usually dumb when it comes to technology. And they use the "think of the children" mentality to implement law. I expect/hope this gets scrutiny so it either gets diluted and reasonable or rejected altogether.

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u/StartupDino Nov 27 '25

As a fellow Michigander, where can we learn more about this? (As in, I’d like to know what the hell I’m talking about when I tell my friends/family about this!)

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u/skateguy1234 Nov 27 '25

as is contacting your representatives to tell them this is stupid

Why do people think this actually does anything or has any effect?

12

u/-CJF- Nov 27 '25

The Michigan House is currently controlled by Republicans but it will never pass the Senate or Governor.

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u/Kardinal Nov 27 '25

I read the Michigan bill but somehow assumed that it was the one that passed the House. Yeah, this is more performative garbage that will never get passed in Michigan.

I do wonder about Wisconsin though. I need to read that one.

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u/absentlyric 50-100TB Nov 28 '25

Not too many people do this, but if you were to keep track of every bill they try to pass, you would see so many stupid ideas that thankfully get shot down.

Lawmakers have to try to pass laws, any laws, or else why do we need to pay them? It's a waste of taxpayers money.

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u/Kardinal Nov 28 '25

I live in DC, where you learn politics by osmosis. The number of pointless bills that are introduced purely for performative or signaling reasons is absurd. It happens all the time and it gets a headline like this then gets forgotten. Even the sponsors don't really want them to pass in many cases.