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UK plans age verification to watch porn

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OK. so if they store everybody's credit card info, then how is this protected from fraud? that said, the state already must be able to get all credit card info.

stopping little kiddies from seeing porn is fine, but then not like this.
Original post by Fullofsurprises
Sorry if it sounds patronising, but I'm genuinely sorry that your parents bought GTA for you when you were 7 - it wasn't in your interests for them to do that and I think that although it may feel OK to you, in the long run, you won't think so.

Having said that, I would imagine even parents who think an extremely violent adult videogame is fine for their little tots would hesitate to license them to view hardcore porn sites.


"like 7", In hindsight it was probably more around 10 years old. I was just making a point that most kids get to play games like GTA at a young age. It was actually round a friend's house that I played the game and then begged my parents to buy it for me.

I think it's a bit silly that you are saying "sorry" as if it was a tragic event. Sure, it would not have been beneficial, but at the same time it certainly caused no issues. If anything, I had great fun playing it. I am now over 18 so my thoughts in the "long run" will likely be the same as now, since although brain development continues until 25, I am the majority of the way there by now.


You see, censorship is not the answer. The more you try to restrict access to something, the harder people will fight to get it.

This applies in a porn context - most people go through many different actress' films and don't usually give it a second thought, yet if any celeb nudes are leaked the novelty of it is overwhelming, hence events such as "the fappening" being so well known.

Outside of porn this still applies. Look at piracy and the mass surveillance employed by the UK government, this has led to a lot of people now turning to VPNs.

The correct and ONLY answer is to firstly look at what you define "child" as. Anybody up to 12-13 does need to be protected as they are unlikely to have started puberty and therefore won't be searching for such content and so restricted access may work. (by restricted access I mean parents need to be applying family controls on devices and overseeing their children's internet use)

Anybody who has started puberty will be in the process of becoming a biological adult and there is a chance that they will begin to seek out sexual content as they develop. This is where restriction is futile, because teens are very rebellious and curious and are not going to rest until they find a way around this kind of verification.

If pop-ups are showing adult content on non-adult sites, then by all means that has to be prevented, but in my view the problem is not with the availability of porn but more our view on this as a society. Persons under the age of 18 are indirectly encouraged to view adult content because of the open sexual culture in the UK.

For example, a song called "sex" by an artist "cheat codes" (I think?) was recently a very huge hit in the UK and basically promotes what we're supposed to be trying to prevent. This is one example, but it exists everywhere.

We're also sending mixed messages. You can't treat a teenager like a ****ing idiot. If you teach them about sex in class, provide free contraception (which subconsciously tells them it's OK to be having sexual partners) and do not prosecute underage sex, how can you then tell them it's illegal to be watching recorded sex? This makes no sense.

A 16 year old can legally be involved in group sex / watch it in person but if it has been recorded, they must wait 2 more years? We are contradicting ourselves here and this is why it will be a disaster.
(edited 6 years ago)
Utterly pointless.

Regardless of your feelings on porn, there's no way this achieves what it sets out to. Back as an 11/12 year old in high school we all knew how to get around these sorts of things (for playing video games in the library back then) and kids have only got more computer savvy since then.
Personally, I think this is a very good thing, as quite a lot if young children are accessing this material unknowingly (or intentionally), which I think corrupts their minds quite early on.
I’m really interested on how this is going to be implemented, because if it’s just UK IPs that are blocked, it will be ridiculously easy for kids to just use a free VPN from the App Store.

It’s pointless, though, they might as well put a restriction on sex ed, as teens will do whatever to find porn.
I look forward to seeing how they will respond to the rise in fraud as a result of this.
Honestly with this I want there to be a military rank of commissar and have there be one who has a VPN so none of his soldiers need to put details down and then some armed PPI guy comes from out of nowhere shouting "YOU INSPIRE YOUR MEN TO STUDY SUCH FOUL SMUT COMMISSAR?!"
This is getting really boring, and it cements the stereotype older people don't understand the internet. Proxy or VPN?

Typical conservative mothering, interfering in people's private lives for no reason because they are the moral arbiters of what everyone should do. If they spent money on making sex ed actually useful and actually about relationships, and if sex wasn't such a taboo subject then this could all be solved without Orwellian regulation. By making it such a taboo, kids will seek it out and so they'll see porn instead of having a proper understanding because they're told they aren't meant to see it. Most kids have seen an 18+ film/game, or driven a brothers or older friends car in say a carpark, or drunk alcohol etc etc by like 14 (and that's being optimistic about the age) - you make anything taboo and kids will find a way to access it, it's what they do and one of the many reasons British youth swear like sailors as most people can't accept they're just words and get all funny.

The solution is a proper sex ed program and a desensitivity around explaining actually useful info about sex, sexuality and relationships to kids but this would require the government to actually do something - much easier for them just to blame someone else and require them to do something.

Original post by (づ￣ ³￣)づ
So someone is going to be searching up porn sites and checking that they're following this potential new law?

Imagine that job title.


Sexual Content Subservience Officer?

Porn Prohibitor?

Sexual Malpractice Inquisitor?
Original post by JMR2017
Personally, I think this is a very good thing, as quite a lot if young children are accessing this material unknowingly (or intentionally), which I think corrupts their minds quite early on.


OK, so 2 possible ways of preventing children from seeing porn:

Parental controls blocking those sites.
Age verification which requires giving your credit card details, which a hacker could then get hold of.

The government shouldn't need to stop your children having access to porn, if you can't be bothered to stop it yourself.
Reply 89
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MickivR
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Original post by Dot.Cotton
GOOD. Pornography should be illegal, and this is a giant step forward.


in my personal opinion porn is a form of art. they are paid actors who perform in these movies for the enjoyment of us that like to watch and tap to it. There is nothing wrong with it. ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!
Reply 90
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MickivR
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Original post by Kravence
I'm starting to think ours and other governments around the world have never heard of a Vpn before.

If there's a will, there's a way.


well unlike the UK (i guess) here in the US, porn is 100% legal, so we dont need to use proxy or VPN's. Just like Jailbreaking, in the US it is 100% LEGAL!
Original post by pessim
I’m really interested on how this is going to be implemented, because if it’s just UK IPs that are blocked, it will be ridiculously easy for kids to just use a free VPN from the App Store.

It’s pointless, though, they might as well put a restriction on sex ed, as teens will do whatever to find porn.


It is a complete bodge. From what I can gather, if you want to view commercial porn in the UK, you will have to sign up with the British Board of Film Classification who will then verify your age for porn sites. However, sites like Twitter and Tumblr, well known porn hot spots do not fall under the legislation. I also wonder how the UK will flex its muscles against sites based overseas, especially in places like Russia. Worse of all, they have till next April to implement it and as the legislation goes through, there are no finalised proposals on how age will be verified.

It is probably some of the worst legislation to come out of this government. It will impact many people legally accessing porn but will prevent almost no children or minors from accessing porn.
(edited 6 years ago)
Original post by Dot.Cotton
GOOD. Pornography should be illegal, and this is a giant step forward.


I'm just curious why you think it should be illegal?
This is why I download all my favourites. They can't take that away from me.
Original post by Funkymintbrother
Just use Tor, people.


You pay a tax for this though in terms of latency. TOR network is not optimal for browsing data intensive media, such as video. You can do it, but it is much slower due to latency caused by extra routing and reliance on limited voluntary relays. My hunch, and I hope I'm wrong, is that there will be a ban on TOR browsers in the near future if the government keeps going the way it does.
Original post by Funkymintbrother
Just use Tor, people.


TOR is so awfully slow.
Perfect. All of you will be forced to get a life.
Original post by UnknownRoyalist
Perfect. All of you will be forced to get a life.


I'm good thanks :h:
Original post by Meany Pie
I'm good thanks :h:


It'll be hard for you at first but you'll get over it eventually. Maybe. Maybe not. Oh well
Digital Minister Matt Hancock doesn't have a clue
[video="youtube;P3oLVGp8avk"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3oLVGp8avk[/video]
(edited 6 years ago)

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