The EU is Labeling VPNs as 'Tools for Crime' — A New Phase in Internet Regulation
Have you heard that the EU is now discussing classifying VPNs as “tools for crime”? This surfaced after Europol included VPNs in its list of cybercrime infrastructure in its 2024 report. While the stated goal is to crack down on the dark web, the actual impact is much wider. My team has been exchanging emails with EU buyers...
Have you ever felt caught off guard when a German buyer suddenly asked, "Do you use a VPN?"
In the first half of this year alone, I received checklists regarding remote access environments and data transfer protocols from three different EU clients. I initially thought it was just their internal policy, but it turns out EU partners have become highly sensitive since Europol included VPNs in their cybercrime infrastructure list in the 2024 report (Europol IOCTA 2024).
When new data transfer clauses start appearing in contracts and security compliance requests come pouring in, this is no longer just an IT team issue. Since then, I’ve started using Rinda to systematically keep track of buyer communications and security-related responses, and it has been incredibly useful.
For those of you with EU clients, have you received similar requests?
#ExportManager #GlobalSales #VPNRegulation #EUSecurity
