VPN Usage in the UK Surges by 30%

At last there is some good news for virtual private network (VPN) service users. In the wake of increasing number of pirate websites being blocked in the United Kingdom (UK), there has been a 30% increase in users, who tend to use VPNs to circumvent the so called website blockage.

This is all highlighted in a study that was recently conducted by a team of researchers from  Carnegie Mellon University – one of the most prominent educational institutes in the world – and Wellesley College. The sample size of the research study consisted of around 58,809 British internet users. The study was conducted in order to check the shift in behavior of internet users living in the UK. The research was carried out as part of University’s initiative for Digital Entertainment Analytics.

According to the results of the study, the researchers noted that pirate site blocking is quite effective as there was a whopping 90% drop in visits to pirated sites after the blockage was officially in place. On the other hand, there are users, who eagerly want to get access to these websites from the UK, with the help of a reliable UK VPN, and their percentage has soared by 30% in recent times.

It is interesting to note that a British Court had ordered the internet service providers (ISPs) to block 53 websites deemed to be active pirate websites.  

This particular result – i.e. the 30% increase in VPN users – is a really a blow to the efforts of the so called anti-piracy campaign that had gained impetus last October. The overall result is a decrease of about 22% in piracy for all affected users, who had to face the brunt of blockage, which is again a good omen for the anti-piracy advocates.

Another important result of the research study highlights the fact that there is a six percent (6%) increase in visits to legal paid streaming websites such as Netflix. There is also an increase of 10% in visits to legal paid online video streaming channels, including BBC Player and Channel 5.      

As the situation stands, it seems that anti-piracy advocates have an upper hand. There are more chances likely that ISPs will be asked to block more pirated websites in the near future so that the trend of accessing legitimate and paid sources of online entertainment websites flourishes in the near future.

* This news wa s originally published on Torrent Freak