The UK’s controversial age verification system for online pornography will come into effect on the 15th of July, the government has confirmed.

When the measures come into effect, the UK will become the first country in the world to establish age-verification rules for online pornographic content. The new rules mean that commercial providers of online pornography will be required to carry out “robust” age verification checks on users to ensure they are aged 18 years or over.

Websites that fail to implement the new checks could face being blocked by internet service providers or having access to payment services withdrawn, the government confirmed in a statement.

Minister for Digital, Margot James, welcomed the move and said that the introduction of this legislation will help the government achieve its goal of being ‘the safest place in the world to be online.”

“Adult content is currently far too easy for children to access online,” James commented. “The introduction of mandatory age verification is a world-first, and we’ve taken the time to balance privacy concerns with the need to protect children from inappropriate content.”

“We want the UK to be the safest place in the world to be online, and these new laws will help us achieve this,” she added.

The announcement follows the publication of the UK Government’s Online Harms White Paper last week, which set out clear responsibilities for tech companies to keep British citizens safe online.

In a statement, the government said it had “listened carefully” to privacy concerns and has emphasised that age verification arrangements should “only be concerned with verifying age, not identity.”

Age verification providers will also be required to comply with GDPR standards, while the BBFC has created a voluntary certification scheme, the Age-verification Certificate (AVC), which will oversee and asses the data security standards of AV providers.

Despite the government’s attempts to quell privacy concerns, some campaigners have questioned whether the laws can be fully enforced – as well as the potential for excluding certain websites. The government has already exempted social media sites on the grounds that sites such as Reddit, Tumblr and Reddit could be blocked for hosting adult content.

Jim Killock, Executive Director of Open Rights Group warned that the new laws could prove to be a “scammer’s paradise.”

“The government needs to compel companies to enforce privacy standards. The idea that they are ‘optional’ is dangerous and irresponsible,” he said. “Having some age verification that is good and other systems that are bad is unfair and a scammer’s paradise – of the government’s own making.”

“Data leaks could be disastrous. And they will be the government’s own fault,” Killock added. “The government needs to shape up and legislate for privacy before their own policy results in people being outed, careers destroyed or suicides being provoked.”

Conversely, a number of child safety campaigners have welcomed the announcement today. Will Gardner, Chief Executive of Childnet said the introduction of the new laws could help to prevent children from accidentally stumbling on pornography while online.

Amidst an era in which children are increasingly active online, the implementation of stringent regulations should mirror the ‘offline’ protections already in place.

“We hope that the introduction of this age verification will help in protecting children, making it harder for young people to accidentally come across online pornography, as well as bringing in the same protections that we use offline to protect children from age-restricted goods or services,” he said.

“Talking to children is vital and education has a major part to play here, and we need to ensure all young people are given a platform to discuss the pressures they face online and have the skills to spot and understand the gap between perception and reality,” Gardner added.

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