A big change in porn is coming. After years of political wrangling and delays, age checks are about to be introduced on all pornographic websites accessed from the UK. The new requirements come as part of the Digital Economy Act which were due to come into force on July 15, 2019, but which have since been delayed for a further six months due to the "administrative oversight" according to the minister for culture, media and sport.
Under the Act, websites hosting pornography will be required to stop UK users from accessing pictures, video and text unless they can prove they are over 18. The law has been introduced by the government as an attempt to stop children accessing explicit content online but critics have questioned the security of user data collected for verification purposes.
Here's how the system will work. When a UK IP address attempts to access a website with pornographic content, the person browsing the web will have to verify themselves. It's up to each individual porn website to implement the technology that allows people to prove they're old enough to view the material. The main requirement is that once a porn website is opened it has to show a static landing page that doesn't show any explicit images.
The responsibility of checking that adult websites have installed ways for people to prove they're 18 falls upon the UK's film regulator: the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC). The BBFC has largely left it up to porn websites to pick how they prove people are 18. And because of this, a number of different options are available
The companies behind the age verification tech say they aren't able to say which websites their tech will be used on before the porn law comes into effect. Here's what we know so far and how the systems will work. We'll update this page when more information is released.
AgeID
AgeID has been the most controversial of the age verification systems. It's made by MindGeek, the company behind Pornhub, RedTube and YouPorn. Critics have questioned the move into age verification as they argue there may be too much power, and data, placed in the hands of one company.
"The user verifies their email address and then chooses an age verification option from our list of third-party providers, using options such as SMS, credit card, passport, or driving licence," a spokesperson for AgeID explains.
The system is free and the spokesperson says the company does not see any of the verification data that is provided. "The user then leaves AgeID and enters the details required to prove their age into the site of the third-party age verification provider. The third party will then pass back either a pass or fail to AgeID."
There is also the option to buy a voucher, known as a PortesCard, developed by OCL, from a local shop. The cards cost £4.99 for use on one device and £8.99 for multiple devices. "Once a card or voucher is purchased, its unique validation code must be activated via the Portes app within 24 hours before expiring," the AgeID spokesperson says.
At the moment we know that AgeID will be used across MindGeek's websites. It would not say where else the system would be used.
AgeChecked
London-based AgeChecked will verify people through an app, credit cards and driving licences. Once someone has proved they are over 18 then a username and password can be used to confirm their identity across multiple websites.
The company says it won't store user information and when they attempt to access a website it will be given a pass or fail message. The age checking is free for people using the service and is paid for by the websites that implement it. "AgeChecked is contracted to provide those services with some of the largest and well known adult content website operators, once the effective date of the legislation arrives later this year," a spokesperson says.
What is a VPN?: Virtual Private Networks (VPN) create an encrypted connection from your device to a server somewhere else in the world. They are popular among people who want to protect their privacy, especially in countries with lax online privacy protections, but they're also used to access services in other countries by making it appear you live in that location. This means, for example, you could use a VPN to access HBO Go, a service only available in the US, by connecting to a VPN based in the United States. And, of course, using a VPN would allow you to circumvent the UK's porn block as well.
How much does a VPN cost?: While free VPNs do exist, most have a poor record for protecting privacy and also limit the amount of data you can use, making them impractical for viewing lots of video files. You can read our guide to the best VPNs for reviews of both free and paid-for VPN services you can try. The popular service NordVPN costs around £9 per month with large discounts if you sign-up for longer. Clearly, a VPN is an expensive way to avoid the porn block, but it's a worthwhile option if you value your privacy.
AgePass
Stuart Lawley, the CEO of AVSecure, says his company has created AgePass specifically for the Digital Economy Act's implementation. "AgePass uses a private blockchain that acts as the repository of encrypted tokens that represent the age-verified consumer, which can’t track users as the blockchain generates a new random key at each instance," he says. The method will not ask for usernames or email addresses.
People will show they are old enough to view porn by proving their age with a mobile phone number, driving license number, credit and debit card details, or via an app. Lawley claims the system will be on "hundreds of thousands of websites" when the law comes into force but did not say which ones.
Like AgeID, there is also an option to buy a card in a shop – where ID will need to be shown to prove a person is over 18. Lawley says there will be Age Verification cards or Paysafe cards available in shops around the UK and a card will cost £10.
1Account
1Account is designed to be more than an age checking tool for porn websites. Instead, CEO Ben Keirle says it is created to also act as a payment system. The company says as well as checking ages it will introduce a button that can be placed on the websites of cinemas, gambling companies and e-commerce platforms.
For the porn block, 1Account says it is providing free age checking and four options will be used to let people prove they're over 18. A mobile phone number, credit card, debit card or driving license will all allow age checking to take place. "Importantly, 1Account does not see or store browsing history from day to day use of its users, meaning it does not have the ability to pass or sell this data to anyone else or risk having it leaked in the unlikely event of breach," the company says in a statement.
Yoti
Yoti is currently used in nightclubs and supermarkets as a way of verifying a person's age. The company calls its tech ProveMyAge and says there are two ways it will work for adult websites.
The first is using your face. There will be the option to use the camera on a phone, tablet or computer and Yoti's "age estimation technology" will determine whether the person is old enough to access the explicit material. The company says face images are instantly deleted and it is working with the BBFC to determine what age threshold its tech will be set at. (It may, like the government's Challenge 25 policy for alcohol, be higher than 18).
The second of Yoti's systems is more straightforward and uses documents such as a passport to verify age through an app. Both methods will be free for users. The company says it has deals with some of the "world’s largest adult sites" for its tech but isn't able to say which they are until the government reveals the precise date age checks will be in place.
Updated 17.03.19, 18:32 GMT: The PortesCard is developed by OCL.
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
