British must now prove their age to access many sites

A new phase of the British online security law (Online Safety Act). Furthermore, came into force on Friday. Therefore, Pornographic sites (but not only) are now required to set up a rigorous age verification for their users. Meanwhile,

Since Friday, some six thousand pornographic sites in the United Kingdom have to control the age of their users. Moreover, According to OFCOM, the sector’s surveillance organization, this new rule aims to prevent children from watting inappropriate content. Therefore, Ofcom, responsible for enforcing this rule, estimates that around 14 million people in the United Kingdom are looking at pornographic content. Therefore, It will therefore become more complicated for them. However, this rule will also have consequences for privacy and for a whole series of other sites.

It had previously appeared that the British had to have british must now prove their their age checked before being able to consult certain sureddits on the Reddit forum. The Discord chat service. the Bluesky and X social networks apps also introduced a verification window, as is the Grindr dating app.
Ofcom says it is proud of the reaction obtained. affirms that the United Kingdom is the first country to have implemented such a large rule. The organization also attributes a share of responsibility to technological companies. ‘Children and their parents cannot be held as solely responsible for their online safety’, according to OFCOM.

Confidentiality – British must now prove their

The rule requires a ‘rigorous’ verification, which means that it is simply not to check a box to indicate that the user is 18 years old. Many sites use facial verification (functional or not), or require a passport or driving license, for example. Sites can also be based on bank card information, which poses a potential british must now prove their risk for confidentiality. Not everyone is willing to communicate their identity to sites. and even less to pornographic sites or apps targeting LGBTQ+people. Especially when you know that data leaks are not uncommon online. A site like Reddit already uses a third party player. says that he does not keep sensitive information after the initial verification test. But we have already heard this on several occasions, generally several months before a major data leak.

British regulators expect many users to also try to get around the rules. Rather than showing their identity card, they could use a VPN or surf on unregulated sites. Ofcom even admits that motivated adolescents will probably find a way to elude restrictions. ‘just as some age minors find a way to get alcohol in an ad’, but it considers the rule as a good direction, and also as a first measure towards an even more strict british must now prove their policy.