A computer could be used to judge whether a user is of porn-watching age under new UK guidance that will require websites and apps that host adult content to verify users are over 18 to protect children from seeing such material. Britain’s media watchdog, Ofcom, proposed the use of facial recognition technology as a way to check whether someone on a screen appears to be of legal age for viewing sexually explicit content.
Ofcom wants to make it illegal for anyone under 18 to access specific online pornography platforms, requiring them to prove they are of legal age through several methods, such as photo ID matching, credit card verification, or checking details on their mobile phone. The new rules would also place more responsibility on the bosses of websites that publish pornography to keep their platforms safe for minors and take steps to avoid putting them at risk or face fines from Ofcom.
The proposals, which will be put to a consultation in 2022, would require sites that host pornography to have “beyond reasonable doubt” age verification systems. They must ensure that their methods are highly effective and cannot be bypassed, such as by a user uploading a selfie or using their bank account details to sign in. The new rules will apply to sites and apps that display or publish pornographic content, including websites that are ad-supported, like YouTube, as well as social networks, video-on-demand services, and other platforms such as OnlyFans, which specialize in user-generated pornography.
In 2021, a government study found that, on average, children encounter pornography online for the first time at 13, nearly a quarter by age 11, and one in 10 as young as 9. Ofcom has previously said that children should not be exposed to sexually explicit content online. However, it has been criticized for failing to tackle the more significant issue of child grooming, and a bill passed by Parliament in 2021 that required online sites and apps to have robust protections against such activity was abandoned last year.
Tech companies are currently required to have a range of safeguards to prevent people under 18 from seeing adult content, but more is needed to protect children. They must include prominent disclaimers, block users who attempt to view illegal material or offer human moderation and sensitivity tools to allow adults to avoid the content.
However, critics have argued that age verification is more effective than these measures and would be cheaper to implement. They have also pointed out that it will raise privacy concerns, as it would force companies to ask people for personal details such as photos, ID, or financial information. This would not only be intrusive but could lead to a proliferation of “cyberstalking” whereby people share intimate details without their consent. The Institute of Economic Affairs, a free-market think tank, says that mandatory age verification will expose users to data breaches and abuse by increasing the amount of sensitive personal information held by third parties.
