Return of the Dead: UK Government’s ‘porn pass' age verification scheme is back in the game

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Lime
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PostRe: UK Government’s implementation of ‘porn pass' age verification scheme scrapped entirely
by Lime » Wed May 19, 2021 5:23 pm

Knoyleo wrote:
Cuttooth wrote:Weird, I can watch that on the YouTube app without needing to verify my age. I suppose my Google account is taking care of that for me somehow? :?

Yeah, the below bit is super vague about why they would or wouldn't want this check:

If our systems are unable to establish that a viewer is above the age of 18, we will request that they provide a valid ID or credit card to verify their age.


I guess I've never used a credit card through anygoogle services, either linking a debit card to my Google Play account or using Paypal for stuff instead, not sure what else they would already use for automatic verification, although there are probably plenty of people out there now with Google accounts that have been active for more than 18 years.


Hmm, I've never linked a card to google, and I don't get any age verification checks.

I'm pretty sure that it's because a lot of the things I have to google to fix things in my house are so boring and middle aged I can't possible be below 50, let alone 18.

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Cuttooth
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PostRe: UK Government’s implementation of ‘porn pass' age verification scheme scrapped entirely
by Cuttooth » Tue Jun 08, 2021 8:12 pm

Cuttooth wrote:Weird, I can watch that on the YouTube app without needing to verify my age. I suppose my Google account is taking care of that for me somehow? :?

They finally got me despite being signed in. Well this is strawberry floating annoying. :|

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KK
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PostRe: UK Government’s implementation of ‘porn pass' age verification scheme scrapped entirely
by KK » Tue Feb 08, 2022 9:51 am



BBC News wrote:Porn websites in the UK will be legally required to verify the age of their users under new internet safety laws.

The legislation, which is part of the draft Online Safety Bill, aims to give children better protection from explicit material.

The measures, to ensure users are 18 or over, could see people asked to prove they own a credit card or confirm their age via a third-party service.

Sites that fail to act could be fined up to 10% of their global turnover.

The Online Safety Bill is expected to be introduced to parliament over the next few months and is designed to protect users from harmful content.

Children's safety groups have long been calling for age verification on porn sites, over fears it is too easy for minors to access publically available material online.

Time Warp

Similar measures were proposed previously but dropped in 2019.

Studies show that half of 11 to 13-year-olds have seen pornography at some point.

Experts who work with children say it gives them unhealthy views of sex and consent, putting them at risk from predators and possibly stopping them reporting abuse.

Announcing the age verification plans, Digital Economy Minister Chris Philp said: "Parents deserve peace of mind that their children are protected online from seeing things no child should see."

As well as being able to fine websites that do not follow the rules, the regulator Ofcom could block them from being accessible in the UK.

The bosses of these websites could also be held criminally liable if they fail to cooperate with Ofcom.

Previously, only commercial porn sites that allowed user-generated content were in the scope of the Online Safety Bill, but all commercial porn sites will now be covered.

Andy Burrows, of the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC), welcomed the strengthening of the Online Harms Bill but said it didn't go far enough.

"It's right the government has listened to calls to fix one of the gaps in the Online Safety Bill and protect children from pornography wherever it's hosted," he said.

"Crucially, they have also acted on our concerns and closed the 'Only Fans loophole' that would have let some of the riskiest sites off the hook despite allowing children access to extremely damaging material.

"But the legislation still falls short of giving children comprehensive protection from preventable abuse and harmful content and needs significant strengthening to match the government's rhetoric and focus minds at the very top of tech companies on child safety."

Proposals to make people confirm their age before accessing explicit content online were first introduced under the Digital Economy Act in 2017, but the government never enforced them.

They were officially dropped in 2019, with ministers pledging "other measures" would achieve the same results.

When the first draft of the Online Safety Bill was announced last year, campaigners were shocked it did not contain these long-promised checks.

Halt! Who wanks there

It will be up to companies to decide how best to comply with the new rules, but Ofcom may recommend the use of certain age verification technologies.

However, the government says firms should not process or store data that is irrelevant to the purpose of checking someone's age.

Despite the widespread use of age verification technology in sectors such as online gambling, there are still fears it poses privacy risks.

Campaigners have warned that a database of pornography users would be a huge hacking target for blackmailers.

Jim Killock of the Open Rights Group, which campaigns to preserve digital rights and freedoms, said the rules would benefit age verification companies while offering "little practical benefit for child safety, and much harm to people's privacy".

"There is no indication that this proposal will protect people from tracking and profiling porn viewing," he told the BBC.

"We have to assume the same basic mistakes about privacy and security may be about to be made again."

But Iain Corby, executive director of the Age Verification Providers Association, said firms he represented had developed a wide range of methods to prove someone's age online without disclosing their identity to the websites they visit.

"By using independent, third-party organisations which are audited and certified to comply with the highest standards of data protection and security, adults can be confident their own privacy will be preserved while their children are protected."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-60293057

Amazingly this thread was created 4 years ago this month.

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OrangeRKN
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PostRe: Return of the Dead: UK Government’s ‘porn pass' age verification scheme is back in the game
by OrangeRKN » Tue Feb 08, 2022 10:03 am

But Iain Corby, who is financially invested in the bill passing, thinks the bill is a good idea!

Want to limit what kids can see online? Use parental controls. No compromise on privacy or security needed.

Of course, compromising privacy is the point.

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Tomous
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PostRe: Return of the Dead: UK Government’s ‘porn pass' age verification scheme is back in the game
by Tomous » Tue Feb 08, 2022 10:07 am

It would be so much cheaper and effective to encourage parental controls and run awareness campaigns etc :fp:

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Oblomov Boblomov
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PostRe: Return of the Dead: UK Government’s ‘porn pass' age verification scheme is back in the game
by Oblomov Boblomov » Tue Feb 08, 2022 10:09 am

Tomous wrote:It would be so much cheaper and effective to encourage parental controls and run awareness campaigns etc :fp:

Yes but it would encourage healthy and constructive dialogue between parents/children, which we simply can't allow because it would involve talking about some very naughty and improper things!

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DarkRula
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PostRe: Return of the Dead: UK Government’s ‘porn pass' age verification scheme is back in the game
by DarkRula » Tue Feb 08, 2022 10:10 am

Well, that's something. I suppose this time will be no different to the last.

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