According to TechRadar, the Danish government has officially abandoned a legislative proposal that would have made it illegal to use VPN connections to access geo-restricted streaming content or circumvent website blocks. The announcement came from Culture Minister Jakob Engel-Schmidt on Monday, December 15, following immediate and widespread public backlash. Engel-Schmidt stated he “never intended” to outlaw VPNs and admitted the initial text was “not formulated precisely enough,” leading to a fundamental misunderstanding. He has now cut the contentious section from the wider anti-piracy bill entirely. This rapid reversal is a direct result of pressure from digital rights groups and citizens who argued the vague law threatened internet freedom and common privacy tools.
A win for making noise
Here’s the thing: this is a pretty clear-cut case of public pressure working. The proposal had a “totalitarian feel,” as one critic put it, and the backlash was so fierce the government folded in a matter of days. That doesn’t happen often. It shows that even in a broader push for stricter copyright enforcement, there’s a line governments know they can’t cross without a major fight. People understand that VPNs aren’t just for watching Netflix libraries from other countries; they’re a fundamental tool for basic online security and privacy. The government basically tried to sneak something through, got caught, and had to backpedal hard.
The bigger picture
But let’s not get too comfortable. While this is a victory, it’s important to see it in context. The Danish government is still actively advocating for the EU’s controversial “Chat Control” bill, which poses massive threats to encryption and privacy. So, they’re not exactly privacy champions across the board. This episode feels more like a tactical retreat on one poorly-worded front, not a change in overall strategy. It does, however, set a useful precedent. It tells other governments in Europe and beyond that trying to directly restrict VPN use is a political third rail. They’ll likely look for more subtle, technical ways to enforce geo-blocks instead of blunt legal instruments.
Where do we go from here?
So what’s next? The rest of the anti-piracy bill will apparently move forward, just without the VPN ban clause. The tension Engel-Schmidt mentioned—between copyright enforcement and digital rights—isn’t going away. If anything, it’s the defining tech policy battle of the decade. This incident proves that clear, loud public advocacy can still win battles. But it also shows how these rights are constantly under proposal, waiting for a moment when people aren’t paying attention. The takeaway? Stay vigilant. And maybe keep your VPN subscription active—it’s safe in Denmark for now, and it’s a tool that matters for far more than just streaming.
