UK’s Ofcom recently published a draft of age-restriction guidelines for online services hosting explicit sexual content. Platforms displaying or publishing pornography are required to ensure children are “not normally able to encounter” adult content on their sites or apps under the Online Safety Act. Average age children are exposed to online porn is 13. 27 percent viewed it by age 11 and 10 percent by age nine. Ofcom shared survey indicating 87 percent of women and 77 percent of men in the UK support of measures preventing children from easily accessing porn. Adult content hosting websites in the UK must introduce “age assurance” through direct verification, age estimation using facial scans. The UK could fine companies up to £18 million or 10 percent of its global revenue. Suggestions include consent to sharing banking information, photo ID matching, facial age estimation and wireless carriers’ age checks. Privacy concerns are noted as Ofcom is relying solely upon data protection laws to protect privacy. Aylo, owner of Pornhub, supports age verification if safety and privacy are assured. A loophole in the guidelines is using a VPN to spoof location outside the UK.
UK Considers Mandatory Facial Scans or Photo IDs for Accessing Online Pornography
