back to article UK smut overlord declares age checks should protect users' privates

The UK's age verification overlord has issued guidance for checking whether citizens should be able to access online smut, emphasising data protection and its plan to take a "proportionate regulatory approach". The government last year signed off on controversial plans to require online porn providers to check their users are …

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  1. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Call me crazy...

    But I can't trust an organization which once went by the name "British Board of Film Censors."

    And they're still going to block websites which are illegal in the UK like BDSM or female ejaculation regardless.

    1. Voland's right hand Silver badge

      Re: Call me crazy...

      That will not be the only thing they block.

      They will be used to enforce D-notices and superinjunctions.

      Just in case so that population does not see things are widely available in the news elsewhere.

      So for example I can look up interesting news popping up related to some current events in other countries today and read them in their newspapers regardless of there being a superinjunction or D-notice in the UK. Once this system is in place that will no longer be the case. Immediately.

    2. Dodgy Geezer Silver badge

      Re: Call me crazy...

      ...block websites which are illegal in the UK like BDSM or female ejaculation regardless....

      Surely the Free Speech activists are up in arms against this blatent attempt to block women from speaking?

      Though I can't see why Business Development Sales and Marketing should be made illegal....

    3. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Call me crazy...

      The BBFC were for ever being criticised by the sort of people that think things should be banned for allowing much more graphic content than the prudes approved of.

    4. Simon 4

      Re: Call me crazy...

      Funny how they never foresee what the real experts always do - it’s bound to go wrong, very embarrassingly, for a LOT of people.

      And it’s also pointless, because a VPN is an easy workaround. Kids aren’t stupid. They’re tech smarter than their parents.

  2. Zog_but_not_the_first
    Trollface

    Why not?

    Sign in with Facebook?

  3. Teiwaz

    Why not?

    Sign in with Facebook?

    Sign in with [Sit on my]Facebook

    More complete information than the government would have managed to scrape together otherwise - go t to give them that.

    All three UK based porn sites have much more information to ensure compliance now than they did.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Sign in with [Sit on my]Facebook

      Not if you live in the UK, oh no, can't be having that. You can happily show ladies gagging on gentleman sausages but you can't show her receiving her pleasures while sitting down. Oh no, much too extreme.

      1. Teiwaz

        Re: Sign in with [Sit on my]Facebook

        Not if you live in the UK, oh no, can't be having that.

        And I was about to punt my petition to have the National Anthem changed to Monty Pythons 'Sit on my Face (and tell me that you love me)'....

        Mind you, 'I like Traffic Lights' would be better than the current - anything would be better (with the possible exception of 'happy talky talky').

  4. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    "this guidance must be submitted to the Secretary of State and be laid

    before both Houses of Parliament"

    Isn't people getting laid part of the problem?

    1. This post has been deleted by its author

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      "laid before both Houses of Parliament"

      I think Westminster will welcome anonymous authenticated access to porn sites with open hands (or at least one hand anyway).

    3. Teiwaz

      submitted to the Secretary of State

      ...Also sounds more than a tad BDSM!!!

      laid before both Houses of Parliament

      ...Ah, so they have exempted themselves and are now going to profit off live sex shows then....

  5. unwarranted triumphalism

    Time to install a decent VPN

    Any recommendations? I'm considering Perfect Privacy.

    1. Aristotles slow and dimwitted horse

      Re: Time to install a decent VPN

      I use AirVPN as it's European based (Italy) and was started by privacy conscious journalists. Maybe not the quickest, but it does the job nicely being embedded on my router and on my mobile phone.

    2. }{amis}{
      Go

      Re: Time to install a decent VPN

      I user Proton Vpn to go with my ProtonMail account all berried in Geneva Cern servers.

    3. Paul Crawford Silver badge

      Re: Time to install a decent VPN

      There are many VPN choices but not many that are good. As a general rule you need to:

      (A) expect to pay real money, probably £3 - 10 per month for a usable service as otherwise they can't provide the bandwidth, servers, etc, without whoring you Facebook/Google style.

      (B) always use a VPN provider in another country, that way your own gov has to make a real effort to get any data (e.g. a competent court order in that country).

      (C) do your homework and check the T&C for logging and if you plan on using bit-torrent, etc.

      There are some advertorial sites like www.bestvpn.com which are useful, but remember they are tending to push the sponsors. Also some guidance like: https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-services-keep-anonymous-2018/ as another list to consider.

      1. unwarranted triumphalism

        Re: Time to install a decent VPN

        Thanks to you & above posters for recommendations. I'll check them out.

        1. Dan 55 Silver badge

          Re: Time to install a decent VPN

          You've changed your tune...

          1. unwarranted triumphalism

            Re: Time to install a decent VPN

            Not at all.

        2. Dodgy Geezer Silver badge

          Re: Time to install a decent VPN

          I'm pretty sure that, if the government create a need for VPN services, the market will respond with a wide set of new offerings...

    4. Johndoe132

      Re: Time to install a decent VPN

      I've had most success (speed / reliability) by rolling my own. A micro AWS instance which can be had free for a year does the job nicely, in a location of your choice. Then just install OpenVPN Server and configure as many client connections as you need - there are several good tutorials out there on how to do this. The only thing you end up paying for is the bandwidth, which usually runs to a couple of £ per month, plus you are in complete control and know for sure there is no logging etc.

      1. Paul Crawford Silver badge

        Re: @Johndoe132

        It depends on your goals, budget and technical skills.

        One advantage of most VPN providers is they in effect run NAT so your traffic shares an IP address with many other users, providing ether (A) plausible deniability, or (B) a noise-like signature for any advert tracking.

        As for "no logging" then sure you don't log if you don't want to. But are Amazon are not tracking traffic to your rented instance?

        1. Johndoe132

          Re: @Johndoe132

          Yes that is a definite downside, though I could change the public facing IP address via the AWS console if I really wanted to, but it's a hassle. Who knows what Amazon are logging and profiling; it's something I've thought about but I still feel better having everything bypass my ISP and Big Sister Theresa. I guess that no matter which VPN solution you adopt, you always end up having to trust *someone*.

      2. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Time to install a decent VPN

        "Then just install OpenVPN Server and...."

        A single user VPN running on a VM you pay for provided by an American corporation subject to US courts that you connect to as the only user is not an anonymity solution.

        It may be an easy way to hand everything over to US TLAs, and if RIAA or someone similar gets a US court order, they probably get it too, given that the US considers their laws and courts to have global authority.

        A much better choice is a shared VPN service with accounting separated from operation, and a crew of professionals overseeing security and maintenance full time.

        I don't find AirVPN expensive for what you get... and it is one of two good VPN services with a full featured Linux client.

        Also a Network Lock beats a kill switch for good protection... see discussions if this matters to you.

    5. Voland's right hand Silver badge

      Re: Time to install a decent VPN

      Any recommendations? I'm considering Perfect Privacy.

      All VPN sites will be given the highest possible rating shortly after this goes into force.

      It is the standard practice on all existing systems. Just open any existing "porn list" by a commercial supplier like f.e. websense. Anything providing circumvention or advice on circumvention (hello Register) is rated at the maximum possible rating.

  6. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    privacy should be maintained

    ah, the classic "should" again, as in:

    "your pizza should be with you any time soon" (I don't have a clue why it's 2 hours late, f!o!)

    or

    "yes, you should be able to access your online account" (I don't have a clue why it's not working, but what do I know, I'm only online banking helpline)

    or

    "you should be fully confident that we treat your personal data with utmost seriousness" (after a major data loss by a major data hoarder, for the sake of argument, let's say, a credit rating agency)

    1. MrXavia
      Childcatcher

      Re: privacy should be maintained

      It should be 'Anonymity must be maintained'....

      That is my biggest issue (of many)... no matter what they do, you know hackers will be pushing hard to break in and find the politicians/celebrities that are using the sites and what they look at!

      You know that the sites will use this as another way to track their users viewing habits across multiple sessions.

      Privacy means nothing to our politicians...

      It is always 'think of the children' how about educating kids about sex a bit better? stop it being this big mystery....

  7. }{amis}{
    Flame

    This Wont End Well

    I think this is going to get clobbered by the law of unintended consequences.

    1: Teens are going to look for porn.

    2: Find out that all of the legitimate sites wont let them in without a credit card.

    3: Go and find stuff that comes from providers that don't give a toss what the BBFC says.

    4: End up seeing all of the really nasty / illegal stuff that lurks in the Internets gutters.

    Net effect is a massive upswing in viewing / prosecutions for extreme porn!

    Trebles all round in the house.

    1. Flywheel

      Re: This Wont End Well

      Net effect is a massive upswing in viewing / prosecutions for extreme porn!

      Sounds about right, and I'm willing to bet that fines will be imposed rather than custodial sentences. After all, it's about making money, surely?

  8. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Newspeak

    the BBFC said that "the privacy of adult users of pornographic sites should be maintained and the potential for fraud or misuse of personal data should be safeguarded".

    Oxford has this: Safeguard (verb) - Protect from harm or damage with an appropriate measure.

    So it sounds reassuring but actually is the contrary.

    1. Dodgy Geezer Silver badge

      Re: Newspeak

      Macauley or Kipling would NEVER have written such an atrocious sentence.

      But then, British schoolchildren have never been exposed to authors like these since the 1960s....

  9. Valeyard

    so many stolen details

    every janky site will be asking people for something like personal data or credit card details or something and the less trustworthy will make free with everything you give them.

  10. Augie
    Big Brother

    Nanny state the revenge..

    Yanno, I remember the days of adult verification like adultcheck and the such..I remember sites full of username and passwords for these so those who didn't want to pay, or couldn't pay could still use them..

    Didn't stop me either way, no one watched what I did on the internet.. I know this and I know why.

    However in these days where no one should be unaware of what is on the internet, why is this country's only answer to regulate instead of making parents responsible for the fucking offspring they have brought into this world..Or is this really just a very thin veiled attempt to bring everything under government control for our own "Safety" and to protect from free thinkers and alternative news.

    1. Dr. Mouse

      Re: Nanny state the revenge..

      why is this country's only answer to regulate instead of making parents responsible for the fucking offspring they have brought into this world

      Spot on!

      It reminds me of the South Park episode on Proper Condom Use:

      Sharon: You were stimulating the dog, Stanley! What came out of him was his... r-Randy?!

      Randy: Well, you know, when you do that to a m-male... the... eh eh you make his... stuff come out. [Stan looks confused] Well, Jesus, haven't they taught you these things at school?!

      ...

      Chef: The first thing that kids learn about sex shouldn't be some bitch-scare tactic about STDs.

      Sheila: [rising] No, she's right! With all the teen pregnancies that are out today, I think my boy does need to know about sexual education. [sits, then rises again] From the school.

      Parents shift their responsibility on to the government. In order to regulate, the school put adults who are doing nothing illegal at risk (of identity theft, or being on a "pervert database"). They also put kids more at risk because, when they realise they can't access normal porn sites, they will go to the more risky ones which don't check ages, using VPNs or similar, and end up viewing extreme content.

      Teenagers will have sex, view porn, etc. It's up to the parent to try to stop it and/or educate them with moral standards.

    2. Charles 9

      Re: Nanny state the revenge..

      But how do you enforce responsible parenting without even bigger Big Brother problems?

      1. Dr. Mouse

        Re: Nanny state the revenge..

        But how do you enforce responsible parenting

        You don't. In effect, you leave them to it and only intervene if you find they are doing (or not doing) something which will cause the child harm. It's the parent's right and responsibility to choose how to raise their child, how to protect them and educate them, and what morals to impart. It's not (or shouldn't be) their right to demand that everyone else is punished in order for them to shirk that responsibility.

        1. Charles 9

          Re: Nanny state the revenge..

          "It's not (or shouldn't be) their right to demand that everyone else is punished in order for them to shirk that responsibility."

          Not necessarily, because they could easily teach their children to be well-behaved criminals, which has knock-on effects for everyone else. No one lives in isolation.

  11. TheSkunkyMonk

    A Little Out Their

    I know this may seem a little odd in the modern world but have we erm tried parenting? Like old fashioned style where the parents pay attention to their kids and what they get up to... I know giving them a smart phone and unfettered access to the net is easy and give you mummies plenty extra time for candy crush but maybe we need to get a little old school and start looking after our families again! We could start doing the same for our old as well instead of dumping them off in old peoples homes, imagine a world where people cared...

    1. Dodgy Geezer Silver badge

      Re: A Little Out Their

      ...Like old fashioned style where the parents pay attention to their kids and what they get up to...

      When parents do this, their kids do better at life. So this is elitist, and should be banned....

  12. mark l 2 Silver badge

    It appear from reading their PDF that the BBFC is relying on people reporting none compliant websites, so I expect Mumsnet users will all be off searching for websites that haven't implemented the age verification checks to grass them up.

    It does mentioned that this is only applying to commercial operations but by that do they mean pay per view sites? Or would a free to access website with a few banner ads be classed as a commercial operation as well and require age verification?

    It does seem as the government want us to go back to the pre-internet era when the only pr0n you could see was what the BBFC say was ok and was about as erotic as a bucket of sand.

    1. Lee D Silver badge

      "so I expect Mumsnet users will all be off searching for websites that haven't implemented the age verification checks to grass them up."

      And those websites will be hosted abroad, thereby untouchable unless you want to get into a list of domain names / IP addresses, and they can flux - even those using content delivery networks (like they already do) to help - in seconds if necessary.

      It's going to be like trying to shut down a million Pirate Bays but where they are perfectly legal in the jurisdictions they are hosted in.

      All you'll do is push the content abroad, into more and more dubious locales, until they pretty much don't care what they host any more, or that they have to circumvent your primitive, slow blacklisting.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      "It does seem as the government want us to go back to the pre-internet era when the only pr0n you could see was what the BBFC say was ok [...]"

      It took a few years before the BBFC was appointed to oversee the rating and blocking of tape video recordings. Up to 1984 the media producers and rental shops had a free rein - although the Obscene Publications law could have been used on a piecemeal basis.

      Quote from the BBFC History site

      Video recorders were first introduced in the UK in 1978. At the time there was no legislation governing what could be released on video or to whom video recordings could be supplied. Initially the major distributors were wary of releasing their films on video because they felt video tapes might have an adverse effect on cinema revenues. This left the market open for smaller distributors who, in most cases, could only afford to release low budget material, including horror and pornography. Because there was no legislation governing video recordings, these companies were therefore able to release films that had not been submitted to the BBFC for cinema release, uncut versions of films that had been cut by the BBFC and even films that had been refused a certificate altogether by the BBFC. Some of the films released contained scenes that would be in contravention of UK laws on animal cruelty and obscenity. Even more worrying was the fact that such films were available, in theory at least, to children of any age.

      /Quote

      1. Dodgy Geezer Silver badge

        ...Even more worrying was the fact that such films were available, in theory at least, to children of any age....

        That is, all children of any age who could afford a video recorder at the today equivalent of several thousand pounds and provide a room with a TV to watch videos costing the modern equivalent of £50.

        Won't somebody think of the rich kids who have their own houses....!!

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          "a TV to watch videos costing the modern equivalent of £50."

          By 1981 home video recorders were becoming commonplace. My JVC VHS "portable" with a colour camera cost £1300. Bush, Baird, and Ferguson sold re-badged home recorders for a few hundred pounds. Comparable to the colour TVs which graced most homes.

          Probably every high street had an independent video rental shop. The tapes you could buy at £50 a throw were mainstream big films. I still have "M*A*S*H" which was £49.99 - the only one I ever bought. There was a booming trade in rented videos - and soft pr0n was a novelty expanding the market for newer creations like "Debbie Does Dallas" and "Flesh Gordon". Hard pr0n was probably only available under the counter as it was still liable to prosecution under the Obscene Publications Act if flaunted too openly. Three hour compilation tapes were quite common.

    3. jeffroimms

      isn't a bucket of sand - a little hardcore? and as such would also be banned.

      The simple facts are that other apps now provide access to pornographic images which would fall outside of the remit of these new laws.. Twitter is a prime example - self published porn - and doesn't just about every MP have a Twitter account??

  13. handleoclast

    What have I missed?

    In amongst all the articles (and comments) about this that made my eyes glaze over and worked better then Ambien, I've obviously missed something. I know it must be in there, amongst all the verbiage, because the scheme can't work without it (and the government would never implement something with no chance of working, apart from Universal Cred and a whole slew of other things).

    Once a verification token has been obtained, what is to prevent the possessor from passing it around to others? People do that sort of thing with copyrighted material, despite the adverts at the beginning of DVDs telling them not to do that. Most people would see any harm in doing that with age verification. They know their mate is over 18 but doesn't have a credit/debit card, so...

    And we also know that some parents/elder siblings/random strangers are happy to buy stuff (alcohol, tobacco, glue and worse) for minors. All it takes is for one adult to hand over the details (and there will be many who do so, "you're old enough to wank, go watch this") and it will rapidly spread amongst all children. You know it will. And the children will use it. You know they will.

    Which leads us to the situation we have today, only with more expense and bureaucracy. So what have I missed? There's obviously some really cunning idea in all this to prevent the system being widely abused on its first day. What is it?

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: What have I missed?

      "There's obviously some really cunning idea in all this to prevent the system being widely abused on its first day. What is it?"

      It is doubtful that particular penny has dropped yet.

      n the 1960s a dog-eared copy of J. P. Donleavy's "The Ginger Man" was passed round our VIth Form common room. Actually it was only dog-eared at one or two choice pages.

      The school playground has long been the forum for easily concealed illicit things.

      Wearing a tinfoil hat - it would be almost reasonable to presume it is intended as the thin end of a wedge for the "Great Brexit Firewall of England&Wales". Alternatively when it is shown not to work for the children - but sufficient adults are using it - then will come the requirement to use your linked HMRC verification instead.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: What have I missed?

      "And we also know that some parents/elder siblings/random strangers are happy to buy stuff (alcohol, tobacco, glue and worse) for minors."

      What you've missed is that it isn't illegal in the UK for minors to drink alcohol.

      1. Lee D Silver badge

        Re: What have I missed?

        However:

        https://www.drinkaware.co.uk/alcohol-facts/alcohol-and-the-law/buying-alcohol/

        It is against the law:

        - To sell alcohol to someone under 18 anywhere, and can lead to a maximum fine of £20,000 1 for bar staff/managers or premises may eventually be shut down.

        - For an adult to buy or attempt to buy alcohol on behalf of someone under 18.

        - For someone under 18 to buy alcohol, attempt to buy alcohol or to be sold alcohol.

        If you give your son a drink, that's fine. If you buy a bottle of cider for the kid outside the shop, that's illegal.

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