- Stringent measures for porn sites
- Non-compliant methods outlined
- Ofcom’s age verification for explicit content
Self-declaration of age, online payment methods (such as debit cards) that do not require an individual to be 18 years old, and general terms, disclaimers, or content warnings will not comply with Ofcom’s new requirements.
The Online Safety Act may require websites displaying explicit material to employ credit card checks and photo ID matching to verify that users are at least 18.
Regulator Ofcom has released draft guidance for platforms on safeguarding minors from pornography to ensure companies adhere to recently enacted internet legislation.
Photo ID matching, where an uploaded document like a passport is compared to an image captured at that instant, is one of the recommendations.
The proposed guidance states that porn sites must use methods for age checks that are technically precise, resilient, dependable, and equitable.
Mobile networks may implement age checks and facial age estimation technology, preventing access to age-restricted websites when the operator determines the user is below 18.
Users may register for digital identity purses, storing identification information digitally permitting online pornographic services to access it.
However, the regulator stated that specific methods would fail to satisfy its revised criteria. These methods include self-declaration of age, online payment methods (such as debit cards) not mandating an individual to be 18 years old, and general terms, disclaimers, or content warnings.
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Potential Stringent Measures
Platforms infringing the Online Safety Act may face enforcement measures, such as potential monetary penalties.
“Pornography is far too easily accessible to children on the Internet, and it is abundantly clear that the new online safety laws must reflect this,” said Dame Melanie Dawes, CEO of Ofcom.
Efficient Age Verification Techniques
“Our practical recommendations outline various techniques for conducting age checks that are exceptionally efficient.” It is unmistakable that less robust approaches, such as permitting users to attest to their age, will fail to satisfy this criterion.
Regardless of their methodology, we expect that every service provides robust safeguards to prevent children from encountering pornography and ensures that the privacy rights and freedoms of adults to access lawful content are protected.
Ofcom stated it would continue collaborating with online pornography services to finalize the draft guidance before the early 2025 publication of the final version.
