Millions of Pornhub users will face major restrictions from tomorrow
A major change to Pornhub will be rolling out tomorrow (25 July) with much stricter age-verification checks set to do away with the days of simply ticking a box to say users are 18 or over.
According to Ofcom, as many as an estimated 14 million people watch online pornography in the UK alone with data from Similarweb stating that Pornhub is the most visited porn site in the whole of the UK, as well as around the world.
The regulator has previously pointed to recent research which indicated that as many as eight percent of children aged 8-14 in the UK had visited an online porn site or app over a 28-day period - this included about three percent of eight to nine-year-olds, the survey suggests.
Age-verification technologies
Now, as of Friday this week, adults wanting to access explicit material will be subject to a 'non-exhaustive' list of technologies that may be used to verify ages.
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These include:
- Open banking
- Photo ID matching
- Facial age estimation
- Mobile network operator age checks
- Credit card checks
- Digital identity services
- Email-based age estimation
"For too long, many online services which allow porn and other harmful material have ignored the fact that children are accessing their services," said Dame Melanie Dawes, Ofcom's chief executive, in an announcement made back in January of this year.
"Either they don't ask or, when they do, the checks are minimal and easy to avoid."
She went on to explain: "That means companies have effectively been treating all users as if they're adults, leaving children potentially exposed to porn and other types of harmful content."
Dawes previously added those companies that fail to meet these new requirements can 'expect to face enforcement action from Ofcom'.
"Services which host their own pornography must start to introduce age checks immediately, while other user-to-user services - including social media - which allow pornography and certain other types of content harmful to children will have to follow suit by July at the latest," she continued.
"We'll be monitoring the response from industry closely."
The issues with age-verification checks
Chelsea Jarvie, a cyber security expert, has said that the methods 'are effective at proving someone's age and include controls to prevent circumvention'.
"However," she told the BBC, "like all technology controls, determined users will try to find ways around them and we may see users turning to more anonymous methods to access online content."
There's also the problem of trust among internet users amid high-profile cyber attacks.
"Many remain cautious about handing over personal identity information in order to prove their age," she continued.
But, it's important to note, age-verification companies have insisted that their systems are robust and will prevent people from getting around their tools.
"It is possible that an adult could complete an age check on behalf of a child if they were passed a device," added Andy Lulham from Verifymy.
"This would be comparable to an adult going into a shop and buying a pornographic magazine on behalf of a child, and would be extremely irresponsible."
What do people think?
While such a move aims to protect children online, some porn-watchers have shared their concerns over what the age-verification checks could lead to.
Tom, who is in his 20s, told the BBC that he has been watching porn since he was a teenager and is worried about sharing personal data to access porn sites.
"It's not a question of if something will leak, but when," he claimed, voicing his worries about how a leak of personal data could affect users, including those whose viewing habits could reveal their sexuality if they have not come out to friends and family.
Age-verification companies assured the BBC that firms don't retain data.
Additionally, Shea, who is also in his 20s and watches porn daily, is also worried about the situation.
"Please upload a face scan of your ID and passport? No thank you," he said, explaining his thoughts that needing to prove your age will be off-putting to many people who want to access content quickly with few hurdles.
Instead of completing such verification, Shea reckons some porn-watches will turn elsewhere in the hunt for adult content.
"It's just pushing people into the fringe of the extremes," he concluded. "It's not stopping you from watching porn."
Topics: Sex and Relationships, News, Technology, Life, Social Media
Rhiannon Ingle