New UK Age Verification Laws - are they workable?
In April 2018, new Age Verification laws for 'Adult content' websites come into force, but is it just a hurried and unworkable mess or even worthwhile?
Is it ironic somewhat that the proposed 'provider' who will process age verification, is actually one of the world's largest conduits of pornography?
Does this come under the 'you couldn't make it up' style of journalism?
I wonder how this will work in other areas of E-commerce and the internet.
This got me thinking, if you need to be 18 to visit adult content sites, then how does this work when you go to a cinema?
In theory, you'd have to show accepted accreditation meeting a national standard, to prove your age if it was obvious a film's rating demanded it.
(In theory, if an 18 film was showing, you'd have to show a form of accreditation just to get in, even if you were going to see a U film?)
(In theory, if an 18 film was showing, you'd have to show a form of accreditation just to get in, even if you were going to see a U film?)
This will put you on a 'data map' just as much as if you buy age verification and go on to an 'adult content' website.
This could be dangerous ground.
In the normal run of things, your computer IP address is pretty anonymous, but now with verification, is it not beyond possibility that this goldmine of potentially highly sensitive information could easily be stolen and used for criminal purposes?
In the normal run of things, your computer IP address is pretty anonymous, but now with verification, is it not beyond possibility that this goldmine of potentially highly sensitive information could easily be stolen and used for criminal purposes?
As a 'celeb' for example, or someone with a high profile job role, should someone steal your verification and your transaction data and match it to your profile and any sites by name you visited, this could be very embarrassing for you.
Data crime is big business, a disgruntled employee able to steal quality, qualified data has a valuable commodity on their hands.
Anyone then able to exploit this data could hand the criminals an open cheque book, which could lead to compromised people becoming victims of crime and possibly taking their own lives, rather than pay up or have the shame of exposure. Exposure could cost them everything. Literally.
If every site you visit and use your data verification is logged, then this database of information is to the criminal, a potential pot of gold, if they can get hold of this data.
Another question is, if legitimate on-line platforms such as EBay and Amazon sell '18 age' products, will any users of these sites require age verification just to go on there? Even if the visitors are not buying or interested in '18' age products?
This could include sex aids, both of which platforms had these items being listed for sale.
The question is, ultimately, are we all going to be made to have age verification just to get onto any websites? This seems a bit too 'Big Brother' for me.
The question is, if you are below 18 and want to buy a book for your educational studies from say Amazon, a book which is not containing 'adult content', would you then need an Age Verification registration just go on the site, because the site may contain over 18 material or products?
Another question is that of competition.
Is it fair business practice to have just one provider of age verification? That is a monopoly surely?
Is it fair business practice to have just one provider of age verification? That is a monopoly surely?
The most important thing concerning this exercise, is the safety of the data and what the data is being collected for.
Is there any justification in this collection and could this be used against a person?
Is there any justification in this collection and could this be used against a person?
If someone was unfortunate enough to have to appear in court for an offence, would Age Verification data of their account transactions be used or obtained for use in evidence, perhaps to discredit the person or try and demonstrate guilt?
This again does raise serious questions about this whole process and personal privacy.
Of course we want to protect those under 18 from certain material but if adult material is available on DVD on legitimate internet platforms that anyone with a debit card or Paypal can purchase, then Age Verification is worthless.
The material will just go 'underground' or get hidden away and people will eventually find ways of getting to it.
Indeed the tech-savvy younger people are just the people who are likely to be able to do this, exactly the target group that the legislation is being supposedly designed to protect.
The material will just go 'underground' or get hidden away and people will eventually find ways of getting to it.
Indeed the tech-savvy younger people are just the people who are likely to be able to do this, exactly the target group that the legislation is being supposedly designed to protect.
Let us look outside of this argument for a moment and consider Alcohol, Driving,Firearms and Narcotics. Alcohol does have an 18 age limit, we all know this rule is broken on a daily basis.
With most firearms banned and some narcotics being 'controlled' by law and prohibited from ordinary possession, criminals can easily get hold of a gun and drugs are widely available almost openly being sold on the streets and used by younger people even those at school. Underage drivers steal or obtain and drive cars. Regulation does not prevent this at all.
The measures above to protect people are failures, because the prohibited items are able to be obtained by those without the legal rights to do so.
Age verification is one step behind, it will be expensive to do and will largely fail, based on the previous models of prohibition. It also impinges on the human rights of privacy and security for the individual's data which is of far greater concern.
Update:
The proposed introduction of age verification in April 2018 has been quietly put back to the end of 2018, hopefully this puritan notion will be left in the long grass and be quietly forgotten. Perhaps the powers that be have seen that this form of prohibition is unworkable?
When Britain leaves the EU after Brexit in March 2019, we will no longer have to observe EU laws.
Age verification is one step behind, it will be expensive to do and will largely fail, based on the previous models of prohibition. It also impinges on the human rights of privacy and security for the individual's data which is of far greater concern.
Update:
The proposed introduction of age verification in April 2018 has been quietly put back to the end of 2018, hopefully this puritan notion will be left in the long grass and be quietly forgotten. Perhaps the powers that be have seen that this form of prohibition is unworkable?
When Britain leaves the EU after Brexit in March 2019, we will no longer have to observe EU laws.
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