Viewers of 18+ websites like P*rnhub will have to take a selfie to verify they are 18 years old or older

To ensure compliance with the recently passed Online Safety Act, the UK has proposed that porn site viewers will have to take selfies to verify their age is 18 or over using AI.

Viewers of 18+ websites like P*rnhub will have to take a selfie to verify they are 18 years old or older Picture 1

The UK has long been trying to introduce age verification laws for porn sites. In 2019, a system using passports, credit cards and other means is expected to be introduced. But just weeks before it was rolled out it was pulled due to privacy and technical issues.

Recently, the controversial Online Safety Act was passed. One of the prominent regulations is to ensure that children cannot generally view pornographic content on websites or applications.

Telecommunications regulator Ofcom has published six recommended methods for verifying a user's age to see if they are of legal age to view content. These include the previous method of entering credit card details, confirming a person's age with their mobile service provider, using a digital identity wallet, giving consent for a bank to authenticate a person on 18 years old and comparing photos.

 The final proposed method is to use AI to estimate a person's age based on selfies. Instagram and Facebook Dating have also used this same method through a third-party company called Yoti. Many have privacy concerns with this method, but Yoti says that the data is encrypted as it verifies the information, so even the company itself cannot see it.

Jessica Tanner

Update 07 December 2023