UK plans age verification for porn websites from 2018

Soldato
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-40628909

People in the UK will have to prove they are 18 before being allowed to access pornography websites from next year, the government is to announce.

Websites will be legally required to install age verification controls by April 2018 as part of a move to make the internet safer for children.

Users may be asked to provide credit card details, as gambling websites do.

Companies breaking the rules set out in the Digital Economy Act face being blocked by their internet provider.

Under the plans, firms supplying payment and other services to the pornography websites could be notified about any breach.

A regulatory body will be asked to oversee and enforce the new rules.

It is thought this could be the British Board of Film Classification which already sets age limits for films and computer games.

'Most robust protection'
Digital minister Matt Hancock will formally begin the process, which was the subject of a 2016 consultation during David Cameron's government, in a written statement to the Commons later.

Mr Hancock said: "All this means that while we can enjoy the freedom of the web, the UK will have the most robust internet child protection measures of any country in the world."

Will Gardner from internet safety charity Childnet said: "Steps like this to help restrict access, alongside the provision of free parental controls and education, are key."

An NSPCC report in 2016 said online pornography could damage a child's development and decision-making and had been seen by 65% of 15-16 year olds and 48% of 11-16 year olds.

The study found 28% of children may have stumbled across pornography while browsing, while 19% had searched for it deliberately.

How will this work considering most of the popular sites aren't even based in the UK.
 
Soldato
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How will this work considering most of the popular sites aren't even based in the UK.

They might force UK ISPs to redirect you to a verification gateway, if the ISP detects that you're trying to go to a known naughty website - like some of the mobile operators do if you try and access a pornsite on your phone.... (This seems simpler and easier to do technically??)

But what is highly confusing, (probably because nobody in government understands what a ****** kettle is, let alone the internet) is exactly how you force untrusted entities in other countries, such as porn sites - to take your credit card, just so you're obeying a stupid UK law... The whole thing stinks of total and utter berk-ridden incompetence.

Of course, any of the standard VPNs will be pretty bulletproof against this sort of thing... but yeah - the govt doesn't like VPNs either.............
 
Caporegime
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I'm not against the principle as I think porn can be quite damaging physically and mentally to people of all ages if they become addicted to it or it's their only source of sexual pleasure but this enforcement method is terrible and will never work.
 
Man of Honour
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VPN?

Most of the children saying they stumbled upon it will be too embarrassed to say they deliberately looked for it. I suggest the vast majority of children exposed to it went looking for it.
 
Soldato
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An NSPCC report in 2016 said online pornography could damage a child's development and decision-making and had been seen by 65% of 15-16 year olds and 48% of 11-16 year olds.

have these people not considered that it's the role of the parents to set this sort of control system? i mean it's not like there aren't parental control blocks easily accessable for them to use already.....
 
Soldato
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Most sites verification is literally "state your age". Enter age: over 18. Ok you're in.

Its more of a legal-protection-for-site so the onus is on the person owning up rather than the site itself.

Enter credit card details? They think kids actually pay for this stuff?!
 
Soldato
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17 Jun 2012
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Standard Western values. Watching two people have sex, age verification via credit card required. Watching people get blown up or murdered might require a tick box saying user is over 18 but aren't really bothered about that on the whole.
 
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