The UK's upcoming porn ban might provide hackers with the perfect opportunity to blackmail people, privacy advocates have warned.

They have raised concerns about the age verification procedure and said it provides ample ammunition for criminals.

A potential data leak could reveal names, emails and even ID documents such as drivers licences and passports used for age verification.

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Privacy advocates have raised concerns about the implementation of the age verification procedure and said it provides ample opportunity for criminals to manipulate porn viewers (file photo)

The age block has been delayed by technical difficulties and will force providers of pornographic imagery to provide a comprehensive and safe way of provide proof of age.

This can be done by uploading imagery of a passport or drivers licence. It can also be done by purchasing a 'porn pass' from a newsagent for £4.99 per device.

These will only be available to adults and age is verified by the vendor.

The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC), which classifies movies in the UK, will be the age verification regulator.

Any sites found to be failing in this safeguarding measure, designed to protect children from explicit content online, will be blocked by all British internet service providers.

It is expected to be announced in April but could well be many months before it is fully implemented.

Mr Jim Killock told The Guardian: 'It might lead to people being outed. It could also be you're a teacher with an unusual sexual preference and your pupils get to know that as a result of a leak.

'It won't get you sacked for viewing something legal but it could destroy your reputation.'

An online pornographic giant, MindGeek, owns many of the largest porn sites in the world, including PornHub.

It founded its own site which offered the facility of verifying identity and age, called AgeID.

Should there be a breach of this site when it is live, it could expose the browsing history and sexual preferences of up to 25 million people.

'The problem is you’re giving all your data to the pornographic equivalent of Mark Zuckerberg: "This is what I like, this is who I am, and these are all of the sites I’ve visited".'

The firm claims the infrastructure and process is designed to ensure no personal details are actually stored.

The age block has been delayed by technical difficulties and will force providers of pornographic imagery to provide a comprehensive and safe way of provide proof of age. A potential data leak could reveal names, emails and even ID documents such as drivers licenses and passports used for age verification (file photo)

James Clark, director of communications at AgeID, said: 'AgeID does not store any personal data input by users during the age verification process, such as name, address, phone number, date of birth.

'As we do not collect such data, it cannot be leaked, marketed to, or used in any way.'

The process of age checking all porn watchers is imminent but, despite this, more than three-quarters of Britons are not aware new online age-verification rules are set to be introduced in the UK.

It is hoped the long-delayed checks for commercial pornography websites, which are expected to come into force in April, will protect minors from accessing the material.

In a YouGov poll of 1,769 Britons - which included more than half who admitted to being regular pornography users - 76 per cent said they were unaware of the incoming restrictions.

Two-thirds (67 per cent) revealed they approve of the measures but only a third (34 per cent) believe the so-called porn block will be effective.

Under the rules, adults will have to prove they are of age to view the content, a move critics argue could have implications for the privacy.

To access pornographic sites, people will have to use one of a number of options to prove they are 18 or over, such as an over the counter card they can buy from a shop or uploading ID documents online.

'Adult content is currently too easy to access online so introducing age verification is a world-leading step forward to give parents greater peace of mind and ensure commercial pornographic websites act responsibly,' Digital Minister Margot James MP has previously said on the matter.

The Government is preparing to release a white paper on a range of online harms, which is expected to include legislative measures to make social networks more responsible for the content hosted on their platforms.