The British government plans to block all adult websites that fail to implement age-verification checks with the passage of a new bill.
A summary of the Digital Economy Bill, which recently completed the committee stage, states its intended purpose is “to provide for restricting access to online pornography,” among other provisions. The bill would give the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC), an independent film rating and classification organization akin to the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), the power to block any website showcasing adult content that did not verify ages.
If the bill passes, the BBFC will have the power to require Internet service providers block user access to websites that fail to comply with age verification restrictions. Their jurisdiction would extend to pay sites, tube sites, and other forms of open source content, as well as content sourced within the UK and globally.
This legislation is part of the UK government’s continued effort to limit underage persons access to adult content.
According to Wired, UK culture secretary Karen Bradley said, “Only adults should be allowed to view such content.” She added, “If sites refuse to comply, they should be blocked.”
Bradley made no comment on the bill’s limiting impact on of-age consumers’ access to adult content, nor was any mention made about other methods of deterring underage persons from consuming adult content online.
No specific details about how age verification checks would work or be enforced have been announced, though the UK’s broadcasting and telecommunications authority, the Office of Communications (Ofcom), has suggested credit card ownership or checks against voter register could be used to verify ages.
