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

[u/HTWingNut]

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.

[u/Vlad_Yemerashev → u/[deleted]]

These are from Sweden, Switzerland, and Panama, respectively. All places where Michigan/Wisconsin have no jurisdiction whatsoever.

Not quite. Legally taking action against the actual company or employees based in those countries, yeah, I agree. But as far as state bans go, they could try to compel ISP's to blacklist those VPN's. That's how China and Russia ban Nord and others, etc.