Porn sites will finally be forced to block children by demanding proof of age
A licence to clean up the web: Porn sites will finally be forced to block children by demanding proof of age with credit cards or other ID under new draft law
Porn websites will finally be forced to stop children accessing harmful content Under draft internet laws, users have to pass verification checks to prove ageOfcom is being handed the power to fine or block websites that fail to complyThe plans were first laid out in 2015 only to be mothballed four years later
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Porn sites will finally be forced to stop children accessing harmful content.
Under draft internet laws, users will have to pass verification checks to prove they are at least 18.
Ofcom is being handed the power to fine or block websites that fail to comply. Bosses could even be jailed.
Firms must decide how to vet their customers – potentially with credit card, passport or driving licence details.
The shake-up ends years of flip-flopping by the government on how to control the pornography industry. Plans were first laid out in 2015 only to be mothballed four years later.
Campaigners warn that the vast amounts of porn readily available online are having a worrying impact on children’s attitudes to relationships.
Under draft internet laws, users will have to pass verification checks to prove they are at least 18 (file photo)
Half of parents fear web porn gives youngsters an unrealistic view of sex and more than half of mothers think it casts women in a poor light.
Under the Online Safety Bill, age verification checks were to apply only to websites hosting user-generated adult content. This included social media platforms or sites such as OnlyFans, where anyone can register and upload their own adult content.
Critics said that plan was too weak because websites could easily get around it by removing user-generated content.
The Government yesterday said it would strengthen the legislation to include all sites that feature adult content. Officials said the final version would be published ‘within the coming weeks’.
It is not yet clear what the checks will involve because the Government has said the onus would be on the websites.
Ofcom is expected to recommend a range of age verification technologies similar to those already used by gambling websites and alcohol sellers.
While many do not require a full identity check, users may need to prove they are over 18 by using documents such as a passport or credit card.
Experts said age estimation technology could also be used, in which users prove their age by uploading a selfie.
The Government said any technology used must be ‘secure, effective and privacy-preserving’.
If the websites fail to act, Ofcom will be able to fine them up to 10 per cent of their annual worldwide turnover or block them from being accessible in the UK.
Bosses of these websites could also be held criminally liable if they fail to cooperate with Ofcom.
A conservative estimate of the number of 11- to 13-year-olds who had watched porn was around 51 per cent, according to research by the British Board of Film Classification in 2020.
The Daily Mail has been campaigning since 2012 for stronger measures to protect children from finding adult material online. Pressure on the Government saw it pledge to introduce strict age verification checks in 2015 – and came within months of achieving this four years later under the Digital Economy Act.
Firms must decide how to vet their customers – potentially with credit card, passport or driving licence details (file image posed by models)
However, in late 2019, then culture secretary Nicky Morgan scrapped the plans, instead insisting they would be replaced by a ‘duty of care’ in future legislation. This later became the Online Safety Bill, which was published in draft form last year.
The Age Verification Providers Association said it used artificial intelligence to estimate someone’s age to within two years with an ‘enormous degree of certainty’.
Iain Corby, executive director at the body, said: ‘Adult websites were ready to implement age checks in 2019 – and they remain ready today. Ofcom’s main problem is making sure they can apply it to everyone all at once. No company will want to be the first to introduce it for fear of losing its audience.’
The Online Safety Bill will impose a duty of care on tech giants to protect users against illegal or harmful content, with Ofcom acting as regulator.
Officials said it would be published in full in ‘the coming weeks’ and will be put before Parliament.
Digital minister Chris Philp said: ‘It is too easy for children to access pornography online. Parents deserve peace of mind that their children are protected online from seeing things no child should see. We are now strengthening the Online Safety Bill so it applies to all porn sites to ensure we achieve our aim of making the internet a safer place for children.’
Andy Burrows, of the NSPCC, said: ‘It’s right the Government has listened to calls to fix one of the gaps in the Online Safety Bill.’
