The UK blocks little political content, but High Court orders block piracy sites, providers filter child-abuse pages and adult content for children, and since July 2025 sites with porn or other harmful content must check ages.
Every day we open 67 of the world’s biggest sites and apps from home internet connections in the UK, and record what’s blocked, since when and how.
0 of 67 testedsites and apps with a confirmed block in the UK
67 of 67 results confirmed in the last 48 hours.
Tests are requested on BT and Virgin Media home connections. 1 more site turns visitors from the UK away itself.
These sites turn visitors from the UK away themselves: they answer “forbidden” (HTTP 403) or send them to a “not available here” page. That’s the site’s choice, not a block by the UK.
ImgurSearch & web tools
First observed on 30 Sep 2026
The site answers “forbidden” (HTTP 403) on BT and Virgin Media.
Unstable 1
Some networks timed out twice while others opened these. That can be a quiet slowdown or just a poor connection; we don’t count it as a block.
Piracy blocks in the UK come from High Court injunctions under section 97A of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. In July 2011 the court made BT block the Newzbin2 piracy site; in March 2017 the Premier League won the first such order against streaming servers, a “live” block that applies only while its matches are being broadcast and resets each match week.
Providers also filter. Under a voluntary industry code they block pages on the Internet Watch Foundation’s list of child sexual abuse URLs, refreshed twice a day, using systems such as BT’s Cleanfeed, built in 2004. Mobile networks switch adult-content filters on by default and lift them only for customers who prove they are over 18, and the optional family filters of broadband providers have caught sites on public health, LGBT+ topics and drug awareness.
The Online Safety Act 2023 brought the biggest change. Since 25 July 2025, sites and apps that allow porn or other content harmful to children have had to check users’ ages, and Ofcom can fine companies up to £18 million or 10% of global revenue, or, with a court’s agreement, have internet providers block them. Separately, Imgur has turned UK visitors away since 30 September 2025, after the data regulator, the ICO, served its owner with notice of a planned fine over children’s data.
The UK isn’t bound by the EU’s RT ban and uses its own rules: Ofcom revoked RT’s broadcast licence in March 2022, and since 29 April 2022 sanctions rules have required internet providers to take reasonable steps to stop users reaching services run by designated persons. In 2026 the government decided to bar under-16s from some social media from spring 2027, but said in July 2026 that it would not ban or age-gate VPNs.
Are VPNs legal in the UK?
VPNs are legal in the UK, and in July 2026 the government said it would not ban or age-gate them, though platforms must take robust steps to stop under-16s getting around age checks, including through VPNs.
Key dates
Confirming its plan to bar under-16s from some social media from spring 2027, the government says it will not ban or age-gate VPNs.
Imgur stops serving UK visitors, weeks after the ICO served its owner, MediaLab, with notice of a planned fine over children’s data.
Online Safety Act age checks take effect for sites and apps that allow porn or other content harmful to children.
Ofcom revokes RT’s UK broadcast licence weeks after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The High Court grants the Premier League the first “live” blocking order against servers streaming its matches.
The High Court orders BT to block the piracy site Newzbin2 under section 97A of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act.
Get past a block
Blocked in the UK?
A VPN connects you through a server in another country, so the blocks in the UK no longer apply. Where VPNs themselves are blocked, you need one that can disguise its traffic.
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Obfuscated servers for networks that block VPNs
Connects you through a server in another country
Encrypts what your internet provider could otherwise see
We earn a commission if you buy through these links. It never changes what the monitor shows. Our disclosure.
History
Changes in the UK
No confirmed changes since monitoring began on 29 Sep 2026. When a block appears or lifts, and a re-check on several machines agrees, it shows up here.
Method
How we test
Test machines on BT and Virgin Media home connections open each site’s homepage every day.
A failure counts only when it happens twice on the same network, while the site opens from other countries.
A change is published only after re-checks a few hours later and again the next day, on several machines per provider, confirm it. It’s dated from the first sighting.
Test machines caught getting around blocks, through a VPN or a filter-dodging tool, are set aside.
We test websites, mostly over home broadband. Apps, calls and mobile networks can behave differently.
Its owner withdrew it. Imgur has turned away UK visitors since 30 September 2025, after the Information Commissioner’s Office issued a notice of intent on 10 September to fine its parent company, MediaLab, over children’s data. Ofcom called the move a commercial decision by the company, not the result of any action by Ofcom.
Does the UK Block Piracy Sites?
Yes, by court order. Since 2011 the High Court has ordered internet providers to block piracy sites under section 97A of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, starting with BT and Newzbin2, and in 2017 the Premier League won the first “live” order, which blocks servers streaming its matches while games are on.
Why Do UK Websites Ask Me to Prove My Age?
Because of the Online Safety Act 2023. Since 25 July 2025, services that allow porn or other content harmful to children must check ages, for example by facial age estimation or an ID upload, and Ofcom can fine companies up to £18 million or 10% of global revenue. From spring 2027, under-16s will also be barred from some social media.
