Mandatory Age-Checks Coming to Pornographic Websites in the UK (Starting July 2019)

• The UK government has officially unveiled a new set of measures designed to prevent children from accessing pornographic content online;
• Pornographic websites will be obliged to implement age-verification checks or face serious consequences once the 'implementation period' is over;
• The new 'UK Porn Ban' law comes into force on July 15, 2019. 

Website blocking has become the norm these days, as numerous countries try to control the Internet in their own ways. However, banning pornographic websites isn’t something that we associate with the first-world countries. During the last couple of months, plenty of porn websites have been blocked in India, Bangladesh, and Uganda. However, in a not-as-surprising turn of events, the government of the United Kingdom has announced a new set of measures designed to prevent persons under the age of 18 from accessing pornographic content online.

As officially announced by the British government, a new set of age-verification measures will come into force on July 15, 2019. However, what's interesting to note, this isn’t a traditional censorship model of blocking websites. Instead, it’s based on a recent research paper on the impact of seeing pornography on children. Online pornographic content will still be available across the UK, with one major change. Before accessing such websites, individuals need to go through a ‘robust age-verification check’. Pornographic websites will need to start implementing those measures as soon as possible, even before the law comes into effect on July 15. However, there will be an implementation period that allows websites featuring adult content to expand their functionality to include an age-check. Failing to comply with the new law will put porn websites at risk of facing sanctions. Ultimately, porn websites that don’t comply can be completely banned in the UK, or their access to payment services can be withdrawn.

How Will the Age-Verification Process Work?

When it comes to the age-verifications measures, we’ll get more details in the upcoming months. However, there’s an idea that individuals can verify their age in several different ways. This service will be offered by third-party companies that can publish and maintain digital ID apps that store copies of users’ ID cards, verifying their age. Another option would be to purchase a card over the counter in a shop, where the person selling the card will have to verify your age (the same method used when purchasing alcohol and cigarettes in the UK).

Who Will Oversee The UK Porn Ban?

Another important piece of information is that not all pornographic websites will be affected. The new law will be regulated by the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC). The BBFC will target both websites and apps serving pornographic content on a commercial basis, which also includes pornographic material made available free of charge. These new measures will affect websites and apps if more than a third of their content is pornographic.

What Are The Possible Consequences?

Preventing minors from watching adult-oriented content might seem like a good idea. However, implementing such measures is far from easy to achieve. As said by the Open Rights Group, the UK will soon have access to a database of individuals watching porn online. In addition, this could lead to potentially disastrous data leaks, exposing the private habits of numerous individuals.

Can You Fight Against the VPN Porn Ban?

As can be expected, we predict that Internet users from the UK will find a way to circumvent age-verification checks. One of the possible solutions is VPN applications. This software can help individuals to connect to servers abroad and easily acquire a foreign IP address. By accessing a porn website using a foreign IP, one could easily unblock any porn website. With this said, we expect to see a huge increase in people’s interest in finding the best VPN for the United Kingdom.

What are your thoughts on the UK porn ban? Do you plan on using a VPN to overcome any geographic or age limitations? Let us know in the comments section below. And make sure to follow TechNadu on Facebook and Twitter. Thanks!