"It has taken longer than I would have liked"
There are new rules set to come into force in the UK from April 2019 for Internet users watching porn.
Users will have to provide Passport or Driving Licence level ID to abide with the age ID checks in order to access pornographic sites.
The Government announced it in 2017 and they are aimed at protecting children from being exposed to hardcore sex sites as a result of unchecked access.
Digital minister Matt Hancock signed the order for the Digital Economy Act, introducing the requirement which applies to all UK websites displaying more than a third of pornographic material.
Margot James, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) minister said:
“It has taken longer than I would have liked, but I’d balance that with a confidence that we’ve got it right.”
For the rules to be implemented, there will be a need for an age verification system.
AgeID, although not launched in the UK yet, is a contender. It is one of many age verification platforms likely to be adopted across the adult industry.
It’s developed by the biggest online porn company in the world, MindGeek. The company owns sites like PornHub, YouPorn and RedTube.
In the UK, an age-check requirement will apply to any website or other online platforms that provide pornography.
Businesses that refuse to comply can be fined and regulators can ask third-party payment services to withdraw support.
Regulators will also be able to block porn websites if they fail to show that are denying access to under-18s.
Websites will be required to demand credit card details or proof of age.
They face fines of up to £250,000 or they can be blocked by UK internet service providers if they fail to comply.
Thousands of UK shops will offer special ID cards called a PortesCard which can be used together with an app to verify a porn-users identity and age.
An AgeID spokesperson said: “The PortesCard is available to purchase from selected high street retailers and any of the UK’s 29,000 PayPoint outlets as a voucher.”
For those wanting to access porn from April 2019, instead of the usual webpage, there will be a non-pornographic landing page.
Users will have to create an AgeID account by verifying their ID, with an email and password. They then choose an age verification option such as a Driving Licence or Passport.
However, there are problems with the new rules. According to Dr Victoria Nash, she said:
“It may make it harder for children to stumble across pornography, especially in the younger age range, but it will do nothing to stop determined teenagers.”
Dr Joss Wright said: “There’s privacy issues, you’re requiring people to effectively announce the fact they are looking at this material to the credit card authorities.
“And there’s serious security issues from requiring people to enter their credit card details into untrusted sites.”
The jurisdiction of the British Board of Film Classification was extended to include pornography available over video on demand and streaming platforms in December 2014.
This effectively aligned internet pornography laws with the Video Recordings Act 1984.
This brought a renewed controversy over the banning of certain sex acts that were depicted.
Depictions include “physical or verbal abuse”, “roleplay as non-adults”, and female ejaculation among others.
Watching porn in the UK is easily accessible, but this rule will regulate it. It hopes to prevent children from accidentally getting onto such sites.
While the UK is focused on regulating it, some countries have banned it altogether like in India where 827 sites were blocked.
The AgeID system is expected to go live in the UK on April 1, 2019, however, an exact date has not yet been set.