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The roll-out of new rules that will force online porn viewers to prove their age has been delayed for a second time.

Plans to establish compulsory age ID checks for online pornography in the UK were announced by the UK Government in 2017.

Under the new rules, viewers could have to upload scans of passports or driving licences to porn websites, or use age-verification cards sold by newsagents.

After multiple delays the new restrictions were expected to start on July 15.

But the Government's Culture Secretary Jeremy Wright told the House of Commons today that the date will be pushed back again.

Mr Wright told MPs the UK Government had failed to inform Brussels about key aspects of the scheme.

He apologised for the delay and said it was still the government's intention to bring in the age-checking system.

Labour shadow cabinet minister Cat Smith branded the latest delay an "utter shambles".

"It's not good enough, it's not acceptable and it's letting children down," she told the House of Commons.

The plans for compulsory age checks for users of porn websites in the UK are designed to stop under-18s from viewing inappropriate content.

All porn sites would be required to verify the age of UK visitors by law and could be blocked by internet service providers if they fail to comply.

The rules do not specify how websites must carry out their verification but several serivces have been announced already.

AgeID is expected to be the most popular single-sign on portal, providing users access to a selection of independent third party age verification sites.

It will be used by MindGeek, the owners of websites like Pornhub, YouPorn and RedTube, who are by far the leaders in the industry.

Campaigners have repeatedly raised concerns about the privacy and security of schemes like these.

Critics have also pointed out that many people would find it relatively straightforward to bypass restrictions or could turn to content sharing platforms not covered by the law.

Virtual private network services (VPNs) are legal to use in the UK and make it seem like a computer based in country is located elsewhere - bypassing the law.

AgeChecked, another age verification provider, told MirrorOnline preparations would continue despite the delay.

Chief executive Alastair Graham said: "Responsible website owners are already making robust preparations for online age verification - we work with many of these businesses.

"Websites that aren’t making preparations need to do so quickly, irrespective of whether the law is officially in place."