People in the UK visiting adult sites may have to provide personal information, like a photo ID or credit card data, under new “age assurance checks,” proposed on Tuesday by the country’s media regulator, Ofcom.
Ofcom’s guidance, in line with the recently passed Online Safety Act, also suggests other ways of checking users’ ages, like face scans or banks and mobile network operators sharing user data with porn sites.
These recommendations have sparked concerns about privacy. Critics say such invasive ways of confirming users’ ages would expose many to privacy risks, including the potential misuse of their data.
Concerns Over Proposed Age Check Methods
Ofcom’s list of proposed age check methods also includes digital identity wallets. “Using a variety of methods, including those listed above, users can securely store their age in a digital format, which the user can share with the online pornography service,” Ofcom explained.
According to Ofcom, “weaker age-checks,” like self-declaration of age, will not do.
While Ofcom said age check methods would be “subject to the UK’s privacy laws, including those concerning the processing of personal data,” the proposed age verification may require users to share highly personal and sensitive information. For instance, photo ID matching and facial age estimation involve biometric data, while credit card checks require disclosing financial information.
Critics have raised concerns about the potential misuse of this data and heightened surveillance. They argue that users may feel uneasy sharing such sensitive personal data, which could deter them from accessing adult content legally. Ultimately, in the quest to watch porn anonymously, users could turn to shady adult sites, where they’re exposed to numerous cyber threats, including malware and identity theft.
“Any regulations that require hundreds of thousands of adult sites to collect significant amounts of highly sensitive personal information is putting user safety in jeopardy,” Aylo, the parent company of Pornhub, told the BBC.
Porn Sites Could be Fined for Not Complying With Proposed Rules
Ofcom will publish its final guidance in 2025 before any age-checking measures come into effect. According to Ofcom, it’s the responsibility of sites and apps that display pornographic content to ensure underage users aren’t accessing their content. Failure to comply with these guidelines may result in fines up to £18 million (approximately $22.7 million) or 10% of their worldwide revenue, whichever is greater.
“Ofcom expects online pornography services to work with us, both as our draft guidance is finalised and beyond, so that they are fully prepared to comply when the time comes. Companies who ultimately fall short will face enforcement action, including possible fines,” Ofcom said.
The UK will not be the first country to introduce age verification requirements for people accessing porn sites. Germany and France have similar laws. Currently, a handful of states in the U.S., including Utah, Texas, Arkansas, Virginia, and Louisiana, also have similar requirements.
In many jurisdictions with these age verification requirements, people turn to VPNs (virtual private networks) to spoof their location and access adult sites privately.
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