Adult content regulations tighten in Britain: Ofcom announces the specific implementation date for age verification, affecting numerous adult websites, incl. Pornhub and OnlyFans.
Revised Article:
Getting a peek at some of the globe's hottest platforms won't be as simple for UK citizens soon. Under the new Online Safety Act, proof of being 18 and above is mandatory to access adult content sites across the country.
The communications regulator, Ofcom, has stepped up its game by sending out letters to numerous pornographic service providers. In these letters, they outline what steps are required – and by when – to implement robust age assurance mechanisms to keep underage individuals at bay.
'Services falling under the Online Safety Act umbrella, hosting explicit content, must establish highly effective age verification systems to prevent minors from stumbling upon such material,' the letter reads. It further explains the consequences of non-compliance.
Ofcom has set a decisive timeline for the implementation of mandatory age checks. 'By 25 July 2025, you'll need to introduce highly effective age verification systems for your users,' the letter adds.
The Online Safety Act 2023, enacted to protect children and adults online, demands these platforms to implement strong age assurance mechanisms to prevent children from being exposed to pornographic content.
In its comprehensive guidelines, Ofcom lists seven strategies deemed highly effective. These include open banking, photo-ID verification, facial age estimation, mobile-network operator (MNO) age checks, credit card checks, email-based age estimation, and digital identity services.
Open banking entails accessing bank records to determine the user's age, while photo-ID verification involves uploading and verifying a government-issued identity document. Facial age estimation works by analyzing facial features to estimate the user's age, and MNO age checks involve mobile operators applying age-restricting filters themselves.
Since a credit card can only be obtained when you're 18 in the UK, credit card checks are considered highly effective. Email-based age estimation deduces the user's age based on services where they've provided their email address – like mortgage lenders, for instance.
Lastly, Ofcom suggests relying on digital identities, digital versions of physical IDs, for age verification. However, the regulator deems three strategies as ineffective. These include self-declaration of age, age verification via online payment methods without age restrictions, and 'general contractual restrictions.'
'For example, including age restrictions as part of the terms of service without any additional age verification measures, general disclaimers claiming all users should be 18 or above, or warnings on specific content stating it's suitable for ages 18 and up,' Ofcom explains.
Failure to implement these checks could come at a hefty cost for adult sites. Companies that fail to comply by 25 July could face fines of up to £18 million or a tenth of their global revenue, which could reach billions for larger companies.
What's more, Ofcom will have the power to ban access to sites within the UK in extreme cases.
"These changes mark a turning point for children online," said Ofcom's CEO Dame Melanie Dawes. "They will result in cleaner social media feeds with fewer harmful and dangerous contents, protection from unwanted contacts, and effective age verification for adult content."
Methods for Age Verification:
- Open banking
- Photo-ID matching
- Facial age estimation
- Mobile-network operator age checks
- Credit card checks
- Email-based age estimation
- Digital ID Services
- In light of the new Online Safety Act, platforms hosting explicit content may consider applying methods like open banking, photo-ID verification, facial age estimation, mobile-network operator age checks, credit card checks, email-based age estimation, and digital ID Services for effective age verification.
- Under the comprehensive guidelines provided by the regulator, Ofcom, key strategies deemed highly effective for age verification are open banking, photo-ID verification, facial age estimation, mobile-network operator (MNO) age checks, credit card checks, email-based age estimation, and digital identity services.
- The regulator, Ofcom, urges companies to dearly avoid relying on self-declaration of age, age verification via online payment methods without age restrictions, and 'general contractual restrictions' as these strategies are considered ineffective for age verification.
- With the revised Online Safety Act in effect from 2023, failing to implement age checks could lead to hefty fines, potentially reaching billions for larger companies, or even prohibition of access to sites within the UK in extreme cases.
