Fight for the Future Holds Second Defend VPNs Day of Action

Digital rights group Fight for the Future is holding its second annual Defend VPNs Day of Action on September 25. The campaign urges people to sign an open letter and contact lawmakers to oppose bans or restrictions on virtual private networks (VPNs).

The campaign began in 2025. Fight for the Future says it engaged around 20,000 people that year and hopes to build on that figure. Its website, DefendVPNs.com, hosts the letter and can connect visitors by phone to lawmakers’ offices, with a suggested script. VPN providers Amnezia VPN and IPVanish have announced support, and Surfshark is also listed.

Fight for the Future says VPN restrictions are often included in age-verification bills that require people to prove their age before accessing certain sites. The group argues that VPNs help vulnerable people reach loved ones, seek healthcare and access information that may be behind identity checks and biometric scans.

Sarah Philips, the group’s campaign director, said, “Using VPNs is not criminal,” and called their use a right that should be defended.

The article cites several policy developments: Utah’s SB 73 targets VPNs in an age-verification law, while a proposed Michigan bill would require internet service providers to block VPNs and set fines of up to $500,000 for promoting them. Fight for the Future says the Michigan proposal remains in play. It also points to restrictions and proposals in other countries, including Russia, where Human Rights Watch reported that at least 469 VPNs had been blocked by February.