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The UK's porn block is due to come into effect next month, forcing web users to prove their age before accessing X-rated content.

From April, anyone attempting to access Pornhub, YouPorn and several other adult sites from a UK device will be redirected to a non-pornographic "landing page", operated by AgeID.

The landing page will prompt the user to enter an email address and password, and verify their age using a credit card, passport or driving licence.

AgeID claims that it does not store ID details, and all email addresses and passwords are "hashed", so even if its servers are hacked, users' personal data will not be compromised.

However, for anyone who doesn't feel comfortable handing over sensitive information, there will be another way to prove your age.

(Image: iStockphoto)

AgeID has teamed up with a third party company called OCL to sell "porn passes" in thousands of shops across the UK, which will allow people to verify their age anonymously.

The porn passes - officially known as PortesCards - will cost £4.99 for use on a single device, or £8.99 for use across multiple devices.

They will be available to purchase from any of the UK’s 29,000 PayPoint outlets. OCL is also about to sign with ePay, which has a network of 60,000 points of sale, including some big brand retailers.

As with alcohol or cigarettes, buyers will either have to be visibly over 18, or prove their age using a valid form of identification which contains their age.

No personal data is collected by the retailer and there is no way to connect the party who purchased the card to the use of Portes, according to OCL.

Once you have purchased your PortesCard, you will have 24 hours to activate the unique validation code via the Portes app before it expires. This is to prevent secondary market sales.

(Image: Universal Images Group Editorial)

You can either scan the card or manually enter the voucher code into the Portes app.

The app will convert this into a virtual "proof-of-age" card on your device, and then invalidate the card, so it cannot be used again.

Any porn site using the AgeID system will accept this as proof of age.

This is a "one-time verification", so if you have verified your age on one AgeID-protected site, you will not need to do it again on any other site using the AgeID system.

For any parents worried about their children getting hold of a "porn pass" through friends or older siblings, OCL said that one of the Portes app's main strengths is its parental controls.

(Image: Getty)

"If you are concerned about kids obtaining a voucher and using Portes to access adult materials, you can download the Portes App to your kids devices, and LOCK Age Verification.

"No vouchers can be redeemed," Serge Acker, chief executive of OCL, told Mirror Online.

"Also, you can both deactivate a previous Age Verification on a device and delete the Portes App on a device and all access is gone."

AgeID has been developed by Mindgeek - the company that owns Pornhub, YouPorn, RedTube and Brazzers - but is run as a separate entity.

Any other porn sites wishing to comply with the Digital Economy Act 2017 can also sign up to use the system.

Under the terms of the Act, all online commercial pornography services accessible from the UK are required to carry age-verification controls.

The government has not yet announced an exact date for when the law will come into effect.

However, Lord Ashton of Hyde, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, said enforcement will begin "around Easter 2019, give or take some weeks".

Any porn site that fails to comply with the news rules faces a fine of up to £250,000 or 5% of turnover, whichever is greater, or a blanket block by all UK internet service providers.

OCL is an an independent company, so will keep the majority of revenue from sales of PortesCards, after taxes and payment of distribution fees.

Acker said the company is in discussions with other companies beyond the adult content space, claiming the cards could also be used as proof of age for gambling, vaping and alcohol sales in the future.