The United Kingdom’s telecommunications and media regulator Ofcom has announced new requirements for online pornography websites to implement age verification systems, with full compliance required by July 2025 as part of the Online Safety Act implementation. The announcement represents a significant expansion of the UK’s digital safety framework, following earlier regulatory efforts to protect minors online.
Under the new regulations, services that publish their own pornographic content must begin implementing robust age verification measures immediately. Platforms allowing user-generated pornographic content have until July 2025 to fully implement age checks. The schedule is part of Ofcom’s broader initiative to enhance online safety measures, which has already led to investigations of platforms like OnlyFans regarding their age verification practices.
Ofcom has outlined several approved age verification methods, including open banking, photo ID matching, facial age estimation, mobile network operator checks, credit card verification, and digital identity services. Companies like Yoti have made significant advances in facial age estimation technology, offering increasingly accurate solutions for online age verification. The regulator specifically noted that self-declaration of age and basic online payments will not be considered sufficiently robust verification methods.
All user-to-user and search services must complete a children’s access assessment by April 16, 2025, to determine if their platforms are likely to be accessed by minors. Services identified as accessible to children must then conduct a children’s risk assessment and implement protective measures by July 2025. The approach mirrors similar initiatives in other jurisdictions, such as France, where courts have ordered ISPs to block access to adult websites lacking proper age verification systems.
The regulatory framework includes significant enforcement mechanisms. Ofcom can impose financial penalties of up to 10 percent of a company’s annual worldwide turnover, with a maximum fine of £18 million. The regulator also has the authority to implement business disruption measures against non-compliant platforms, demonstrating the government’s commitment to enforcing these new safety standards.
“For too long, many online services have ignored the fact that children are accessing their services. Today, this starts to change,” said Dame Melanie Dawes, Ofcom’s CEO. “We’ll be monitoring the response from industry closely. Those companies that fail to meet these new requirements can expect to face enforcement action from Ofcom.”
Sources: ISPreview, UKTech.News, The Independent
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