UK citizens could soon have to use their passports to access pornography. The strange proposition is just one of many for the UK's incoming pornography laws.

Porn viewers across the pond have been warned that in a few months time they will be required to prove their age to watch x-rated videos, for example by showing their passports or driver’s licenses.

The age verification process means that no one under the age of 18 will be able to view porn online.

They will also have to prove their age as part of the Digital Economy Act 2018.

The strict law is coming into place after stats compiled by the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) found that more than half of children and teenagers that had watched online adult videos had “stumbled upon it” accidentally.


When will the new law come into force?

By April 2018 the new law will have come into affect, with compulsory age checks on all pornographic sites.

Viewers will have to prove they are over the age of 18 before they are allowed to access the content on the site.

How will it work?

The new system will be introduced by the British Board of Film Censorship (BBFC) – but adult film publishers will be implementing their own age checks.

Various different age verification methods have been considered – including the embarrassing act of going to the local Post Office to show ID.

One system called AgeID is used by porn giant Mindgeek, which owns PornHub and other major adult video sites.


This method prompts users to create an account using a passport or a mobile phone to confirm their age.

The information is then sent to a government-approved service to confirm the user is over the age of 18.

The user can then use their AgeID to gain access to a restricted website.

A similar, legally compliant system, AgeChecked, uses passports, credit cards and card details to verify the person’s age.

Alastair Graham, CEO of AgeChecked, said: “With the Digital Economy Act coming into force as early as April 2018, online businesses need to give serious consideration as to how they are age checking their customers.

“A simple tick box stating that they are over 18 is just not going to cut it.”


“This is why we have developed AgeChecked to give site owners a genuine, legally-compliant method of guaranteeing that those trying to access age restricted content are the correct age.

What are the negative effects of the age verification?

Critics of the new law have suggested that internet service providers will have to block sites that do not comply with strict UK law.

Porn sites who fail to comply with the stern rules risk being fined up to £250,000.

Privacy groups are also worried that it will cause casual adult video-watchers to have to sign up to “memberships” of porn sites.

Open Rights Group has warned porn companies could be required to keep a database of all the porn that everyone has watched.

Critics have of AgeID urge for more consideration into the verification process – as it could be open to leaks of user data.


PornHub, the world’s most visited porn site, had 64 million visitors per day in 2017, meaning it would be an obvious target for hackers.

Jim Killock, Executive Director of the privacy group Open Rights Group, said: “The BBFC will struggle to ensure that Age Verification is safe, secure and anonymous. They are powerless to ensure people’s privacy.

“The major publisher, MindGeek, looks like it will dominate the AV (age verification) market.

“We are very worried about their product, AgeID, which could track people’s porn use. The way this product develops is completely out of BBFC’s hands.”

The Executive director added: “Age verification could lead to porn companies building databases of the UK’s porn habits, which could be vulnerable to Ashley Madison style hacks.”

The Canadian dating service recently offered customers $11 million (£7.8 million) in compensation after their details were published online by hackers.


However, a spokesman for MindGeek told Sky News: “AgeID has been built from the ground up with data protection, data ministration and the principles of privacy by design at its core, whilst also complying with the GDPR.

“This is why we do not store any personal data entered during the age verification process.”