Latest news with #agechecks
Times
3 days ago
- Politics
- Times
Online Safety Act could push children to dark web, Farage claims
Children will be pushed to dark and dangerous corners of the internet by online safety laws that a Reform government would repeal, Nigel Farage has said. More than 6,000 platforms including the major social media networks and pornography sites introduced age checks on Friday under the Online Safety Act. Farage said the act carried a risk that free speech would be 'erased at the stroke of a pen'. Under the rules, children must be prevented from seeing pornography and material that promotes suicide, self-harm and eating disorders. Technology companies must verify whether users are over 18 using facial age checks and official ID documents. They can also assess e-mail addresses or contact books to establish a user's age. However, the use of virtual private networks (VPNs) has surged in recent days, taking five of the top 10 slots on the free Apple app store chart. Google's app store chart is not dominated by VPNs.
Daily Mail
5 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Sudden spike in searches for VPNs as porn users look to get around new ID checks
Britain's new porn laws sparked a huge surge in VPN use, suggesting porn users are rushing to dodge the strict new age checks. Under rules that came into force on Friday, UK users must prove they are over 18 to access pornographic websites, with some platforms demanding ID uploads or even facial scans. Major sites including Pornhub, YouPorn, RedTube, Cam4, and others have told regulator Ofcom they've rolled out these checks. Social media and messaging platforms such as Reddit, Discord, Bluesky, Grindr, and X have also introduced age verification measures. But the clampdown appears to have backfired as online searches for VPNs, which can disguise a user's location, spiked by more than 700 per cent on Friday morning, suggesting thousands are already looking for ways around the restrictions. VPNs help users appear as though they're browsing from another country, allowing them to access sites without triggering the local ID checks. Experts had previously warned that the technology could be used by users trying to bypass the system. Marcus Johnstone, a criminal defence solicitor, told The Independent that such measures won't prevent access to fringe forums or the dark web, where much online exploitation occurs. He said: 'It will also do nothing to restrict access to [fringe] forums, where much online exploitation takes place, or to the dark web, which remains easily available to those with the motivation to look.' Under the new rules any sites fail to do the checks, Ofcom can impose fines and in very serious cases apply for a court order to prevent the site or app from being available. 'We will be actively checking compliance from 25 July and, should it be necessary, we expect to launch any investigations into individual services next week,' Ofcom said. Why is the porn crackdown happening? According to Oliver Griffiths, Ofcom's group director of online safety, making life safer online 'is one of the defining challenges of our era'. 'Society has long protected youngsters from products that aren't suitable for them, from alcohol to smoking or gambling,' he said. 'But for too long children have been only a click away from harmful pornography online. 'Now, change is happening. These age checks will bring pornography into line with how we treat adult services in the real world, without compromising access and privacy for over-18s.' How do the age checks work? Ofcom has listed seven methods that porn providers could use. Ultimately, which one they opt for is their decision, not Ofcom's, but their chosen method must be 'highly effective' at correctly determining if a user is under 18. Ofcom's seven suggested strategies are photo-ID matching, facial age estimation, mobile-network operator (MNO) age checks, credit card checks, email-based age estimation, digital identity services and open banking. Open banking works by accessing the information a bank has on record regarding a user's age, while photo-ID matching involves uploading a verified photo-ID document, like a PDF of a passport of driving licence. Facial age estimate works by analysing the features of a user's face from a photo to work their age, while MNO age checks involve mobile-network operators applying age-restriction filters themselves. Because you must be 18 to get a credit card in the UK, credit card checks are also listed as 'highly effective', as are email-based age estimations, which estimate your age based on other services where you've provided your email address. 'The process can be as simple as submitting an email address and will return an accurate result in seconds,' explained Lina Ghazal, head of regulatory and public affairs at safety tech firm Verifymy. What happens if porn sites don't comply? Ofcom says that many porn sites have already put their age checks in place. It stresses that the law applies to all sites and apps that allow pornography – whether they are dedicated adult sites or social media, search or gaming services. Fines for non-comply could be up to £18 million or 10 per cent of the platform's qualifying worldwide revenue, whichever is greater. The Online Safety Act The crackdown is part of the Online Safety Act 2023 – a set of laws that protects children and adults online. Mrs Ghazal said it is a 'great step forward for child safety', adding: 'It means some of the world's biggest sites will have highly effective age assurance in place that protects children and also preserves the privacy of users.' The idea of implementing age checks on pornography websites, and fining those sites that don't comply, has existed for several years now. Back in 2016, the UK government launched a public consultation over plans to implement age checks on pornography sites. It was then included in the Digital Economy Act 2017 – but the provision was delayed and eventually abandoned in October 2019. Government said at the time age checks would be delivered through its 'proposed online harms regulatory regime' – in other words, the Online Safety Bill. One criticism of age-checking technology for porn is regarding concerns about handing sensitive identification information – namely age or date of birth – to third parties. 'Everyone realised right from the start – 2016 – that users were not going to want to share their name, let alone a copy of their passport or driving licence, with a porn site,' said Iain Corby, director of Age Verification Providers Association. New research from Ofcom reveals the extent to which children are accessing porn online, and underlines the need for new measures to protect them. It found that eight per cent of children aged 8-14 in the UK visited an online porn site or app in a month – including around 3 per cent of 8–9-year-olds – the youngest children in the study. Ofcom's research tracked the use of websites and apps by 8–14-year-olds across smartphones, tablets and computers over a month. Boys aged 13-14 (19 per cent) were mostly likely to visit a porn service, significantly more than girls the same age (11 per cent).
The Sun
7 days ago
- The Sun
Brits to be blocked from adult content TONIGHT with booze-style ID or face-scan checks replacing ‘ridiculous' tickbox
MILLIONS of Brits will be blocked from adult content online at midnight tonight unless they pass booze-style age checks. The new rules mean you'll need to prove you're over 18 – including by showing ID or scanning your face with a phone. 3 It affects any websites showing porn, or content linked to self-harm, suicide, or eating disorders. This includes social media apps too. The new Ofcom rules enforce the Online Safety Act, and kick in on Friday, July 25. 'It's really the rubber hitting the road,' Oliver Griffiths, group director for online safety at Ofcom, told The Sun. 'The situation at the moment is often ridiculous because people just have to self-declare what their birthday is. That's no check at all.' Major websites like PornHub, X (formerly Twitter), and Reddit have already vowed to follow the rules. Reddit will remain open, but will require an age check if you attempt to view adult content on the site. Shockingly, around 8% of children aged eight to 14 have accessed online porn in a given month, Ofcom says. Boys are more likely to visit than girls (at 19% vs 11%). Now Ofcom can crack down on this behaviour, by blocking youngsters from accidentally stumbling on all kinds of adult content – not just porn. 'One is pornography. The other one is making sure that we've got highly effective age assurance in place for things that aren't illegal but are highly harmful for children,' Griffiths said, speaking to The Sun. 'So that could be suicide content, self-harm, or eating disorders. Don't risk ignoring four free iPhone tricks built to save your life 'And we will be starting an enforcement programme next week if there are websites dedicated to that who haven't got proper age gates in place for midnight tonight.' CHECK YOURSELF There are three main ways that Brits will be asked to prove their age. The first one is called an 'age estimation'. This can work by scanning your face with an approved third-party service like Yoti or Persona. 3 Or it could be estimating your age with an email check that examines if it's been linked to a household utility bill. The second option is linking back to info that's held on you. For instance, it could be checking with your bank or mobile phone company – both of which would already know if you're an adult or not. A simple computer handshake works out if you're a child or not, and then you can be cleared for access if you get the go-ahead. The third method is sharing an official document – a bit like showing your ID at the till in a supermarket. You might be asked to show your passport or driver's license online. SAFE SPACE? This might all sound like a privacy nightmare, especially if you're watching X-rated content online. But the adult websites don't actually get the personal info about you. 3 And the age-checking services aren't learning what kind of content you're trying to view either. The age-check is compliant with data protection, and simply gives the adult website a 'yes' or 'no' for your account. You'll remain anonymous and won't have your online habits linked to your identity when you do oe of these checks. Griffiths noted: 'The key bit of information that's needed is purely: is this user a child or not?' Companies are able to choose the method they want – but they can't opt out. If they breach the new rules, they face massive fines. 'These can lead, in the end, to fines of up to 10% of qualifying global revenue for these companies,' Griffiths said. 'So there's real teeth that sit behind this." THE SHOCKING STATS Latest figures show the scale of adult content consumption online... Ofcom stats: Around 8% children aged 8-14 in the UK visited an online porn site or app in a month. 15% of 13–14-year-olds accessed online porn in a month. Boys aged 13-14 are the most likely to visit a porn service, significantly more than girls the same age (19% vs 11%). Our research tells us that around three in ten (29%) or 13.8m UK adults use porn online. Pornhub is the most used site in the UK – Ofcom research says 18% (8.4m) visited it in one month. Children's Commissioner stats: Of the 64% who said that they had ever seen online pornography: The average age at which children first see pornography is 13. By age nine, 10% had seen pornography, 27% had seen it by age 11 and half of children who had seen pornography had seen it by age 13. We also find that young people are frequently exposed to violent pornography, depicting coercive, degrading or pain-inducing sex acts; 79% had encountered violent pornography before the age of 18. Pornography is not confined to dedicated adult sites. We found that Twitter was the online platform where young people were most likely to have seen pornography. The maximum fine is £18 million – but a company can be charged an even higher sum of 10% of global revenue. This is aimed at targeting giant web companies who may be in breach of the rules. DODGY DEALINGS Of course, some youngsters will go out of their way to dodge the checks. It's possible to skirt the ban using a VPN, or Virtual Private Network. These easily-downloaded apps scramble your internet data to boost your privacy from online spies. But they also let you trick websites and apps into thinking you're logging on from another country. Ofcom insiders admit there's no way to stop this – but that doesn't make the new rules redundant. 'Our research shows that these are not people that are out to find porn – it's being served up to them in their feeds,' Griffiths explained. 'And we think that these measures are going to have a really big impact in terms of dealing with that particular problem. Using parental controls and having conversations, feels a really important part of the solution. Oliver GriffithsOfcom 'There will be teenagers – dedicated teenagers – who want to find their way to porn, in the same way as people find ways to buy alcohol under 18. They will use VPNs. 'And actually, I think there's a really important reflection here. It's not just us, in terms of making life safer online. 'Parents having a view in terms of whether their kids have got a VPN, and using parental controls and having conversations, feels a really important part of the solution.' Another fear around the new rules is that by blocking unverified Brits from mainstream sites, they'll seek out adult content in more extreme corners of the web. But Ofcom says the porn industry is aware of this, and is working to get everyone on board. 'This was certainly a concern that when we were working with the adult sector,' Griffiths told us. 'The big sites were saying, well if we age-assure here, then won't that just divert traffic to darker corners. 'And I think it was that sort of sense that everybody needed to move together. 'That's allowed us to get to the position where we've got 6,000 websites hosting porn that are going to have age-assurance in place as of midnight.' CYBER EXPERT'S VIEW Here's what Jake Moore, Global Cybersecurity Advisor at ESET, said… 'Like many new regulations, the Online Safety Act's approach to age verification sounds ideal to stamp out content that isn't intended for younger people. However, there are still details of the act that are missing that could even pose significant privacy and security risks by collecting data such as ID uploads and financial information. 'Whilst this particular thorn in the act's side has taken longer than expected, it has come across technological barriers and not without good reason. While intended to protect children, these measures could potentially collect large amounts of sensitive personal data vulnerable to breaches or surveillance. 'The real push to govern social media platforms will be in the assigned punishment that enforces it but these platforms are often financially incentivised to push harmful content and then ask for forgiveness rather than permission 'The Online Safety Act's approach to age verification is likely to have a few teething problems but the initial step into online age verification will be a huge step towards online safety for children. 'Although some of the ways to verify ages may sound like they pose potential privacy and security risks by collecting data such as ID uploads or financial information, there are methods in place to reduce further harm. Online privacy has been completely avoided since the birth of social media and other sites with harmful content but this is a move towards the classic adage of better late than never.' Picture Credit: Jake Moore / ESET
Daily Mail
23-07-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Elon Musk is told to block children from viewing porn on X or face huge fine
Elon Musk 's company X has been instructed to prevent children from accessing porn or face huge fines under a new crackdown in the UK. Media watchdog Ofcom is bringing in rules from Friday insisting that all firms hosting pornography online should have robust and 'highly effective' age checks. These are aimed at stopping anyone aged under 18 from accessing such content. Billionaire Musk, 54, the world's richest man, has been in charge of X - previously named Twitter - since 2022. He has faced criticism in recent weeks after one of the artificial intelligence brands he owns, xAI, launched a chatbot 'girlfriend' available to users as young as 12. Internet safety experts have warned it could be used to 'manipulate, mislead, and groom children'. Fines for non-compliance with the new Ofcom regulations could be up to $25million or 10 per cent of the platform's qualifying worldwide revenue, whichever is greater - with estimates suggesting as much as $270million for $2.7billion-revenue X. The crackdown is part of the Online Safety Act 2023 - a set of laws that protects children and adults online. Other threatened punishments include barring a social media company from operating in the UK. X, which officially has a 13-plus age limit for users, is said to be under scrutiny due to the volume of pornographic material shared on the site, the Telegraph reports. The Children's Commissioner for England Dame Rachel de Souza has previously warned many youngsters are more likely to see pornography on X than on dedicated adult sites. A study suggested 41 per cent of 16-to-21-year-olds told of viewing pornography on X , against 37 per cent for specialist adult sites - followed by 33 per cent doing so on Instagram, 32 per cent on Snapchat and 30 per cent on search engines. The new age restriction rules say Internet firms should ensure users submit ID or even have their face scanned, depending on what sites they access. Recommended measures include open banking, photo IDs, facial age estimation software and checks by credit card or mobile phone operators. And industry sources have highlighted three options for Musk's X ahead of the new system. The website could bar anyone aged below 18 from signing up, remove all pornographic content from the site or else introduce bespoke age checks for accounts or areas of the platform where such material is shared. A government insider was quoted as saying: 'If X or any other company that hosts pornography has not introduced highly effective age assurance by this Friday deadline, Ofcom has been clear that they will face enforcement action.' When contacted by MailOnline, an Ofcom spokesperson said: 'Society has long protected youngsters from things like alcohol, smoking and gambling. 'By Friday, all sites and apps that allow pornography - whether they're dedicated adult sites or social media apps - must use highly effective age checks to protect children from online material that's not appropriate for them. 'If companies fail to act, they should expect to face enforcement.' There has been criticism in recent days of xAI's new chatbot girlfriend named Ani, described a fully fledged, blonde-haired AI companion with a gothic, anime-style appearance. She has been programmed to act as a 22-year-old and engage at times in flirty banter with the user. Users have reported that the chatbot has an NSFW mode - 'not safe for work' - once Ani has reached 'level three' in its interaction, including the additional option of appearing dressed in slinky lingerie. The character is said to have a seductive computer-generated voice that pauses and laughs between phrases and regularly initiates flirtatious conversation. Ani was made available to use within the Grok app, which is listed on the App store and can be downloaded by anyone aged 12 and over. Those who have interacted with Ani since it launched earlier last week report Ani describes itself as 'your crazy in-love girlfriend who's gonna make your heart skip'. Ofcom said: 'We are aware of the increasing and fast-developing risk AI poses in the online space, especially to children, and we are working to ensure platforms put appropriate safeguards in place to mitigate these risks.' Matthew Sowemimo, associate head of policy for child safety online at the children's charity NSPCC, said: 'We are really concerned how this technology is being used to produce disturbing content that can manipulate, mislead, and groom children. 'And through our own research and contacts to Childline, we hear how harmful chatbots can be - sometimes giving children false medical advice or steering them towards eating disorders or self-harm. 'It is worrying app stores hosting services like Grok are failing to uphold minimum age limits, and they need to be under greater scrutiny so children are not continually exposed to harm in these spaces.' In its terms of service, Grok advised that the minimum age to use the tool is 13, while young people under 18 should receive permission from a parent before using the app.
Daily Mail
22-07-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Elon Musk is told to block children from viewing porn on X or face huge fine - after launch of AI chatbot 'girlfriend' to users as young as 12
Elon Musk has been instructed to prevent children from looking at porn on his social media site X or face hefty fines under a new crackdown introduced this week. UK media watchdog Ofcom is bringing in rules from Friday insisting that all firms hosting pornography online should have robust and 'highly effective' age checks. These are aimed at stopping anyone aged under 18 from accessing such content. Billionaire Musk, 54, the world's richest man, has been in charge of X - previously named Twitter - since 2022. He has faced criticism in recent weeks after one of the artificial intelligence brands he owns, xAI, launched a chatbot 'girlfriend' available to users as young as 12. Internet safety experts have warned it could be used to 'manipulate, mislead, and groom children'. Fines for non-compliance with the new Ofcom regulations could be up to £18million or 10 per cent of the platform's qualifying worldwide revenue, whichever is greater - with estimates suggesting as much as £200million for £2billion-revenue X. The crackdown is part of the Online Safety Act 2023 – a set of laws that protects children and adults online. Other threatened punishments include barring a social media company from operating in the UK. X, which officially has a 13-plus age limit for users, is said to be under scrutiny due to the volume of pornographic material shared on the site, the Telegraph reports. The Children's Commissioner Dame Rachel de Souza has previously warned many youngsters are more likely to see pornography on X than on dedicated adult sites. A study suggested 41 per cent of 16-to-21-year-olds told of viewing pornography on Twitter, against 37 per cent for specialist adult sites - followed by 33 per cent doing so on Instagram, 32 per cent on Snapchat and 30 per cent on search engines. The new age restriction rules say internet firms should ensure users adults submit ID or even have their face scanned, depending on what sites they access. Recommended measures include open banking, photo IDs, facial age estimation software and checks by credit card or mobile phone operators. And industry sources have highlighted three options for Mr Musk's X ahead of the new system. The website could bar anyone aged below 18 from signing up, remove all pornographic content from the site or else introduce bespoke age checks for accounts or areas of the platform where such material is shared. A government insider was quoted as saying: 'If X or any other company that hosts pornography has not introduced highly effective age assurance by this Friday deadline, Ofcom has been clear that they will face enforcement action.' When contacted by MailOnline, an Ofcom spokesperson said: 'Society has long protected youngsters from things like alcohol, smoking and gambling. 'By Friday, all sites and apps that allow pornography – whether they're dedicated adult sites or social media apps – must use highly effective age checks to protect children from online material that's not appropriate for them. 'If companies fail to act, they should expect to face enforcement.' MailOnline has contacted X and xAI for comment. There has been criticism in recent days of xAI's new chatbot girlfriend named Ani, described a fully fledged, blonde-haired AI companion with a gothic, anime-style appearance. She has been programmed to act as a 22-year-old and engage at times in flirty banter with the user. Users have reported that the chat bot has an NSFW mode - 'not safe for work' - once Ani has reached 'level three' in its interaction, including the additional option of appearing dressed in slinky lingerie. The character is said a seductive computer-generated voice that pauses and laughs between phrases and regularly initiates flirtatious conversation. Ani was made available to use within the Grok app, which is listed on the App store and can be downloaded by anyone aged 12 and over. Those who have interacted with Ani since it launched earlier last week report Ani describes itself as 'your crazy in-love girlfriend who's gonna make your heart skip'. Ofcom said: 'We are aware of the increasing and fast-developing risk AI poses in the online space, especially to children, and we are working to ensure platforms put appropriate safeguards in place to mitigate these risks.' Matthew Sowemimo, associate head of policy for child safety online at the NSPCC children's charity, said: 'We are really concerned how this technology is being used to produce disturbing content that can manipulate, mislead, and groom children. 'And through our own research and contacts to Childline, we hear how harmful chatbots can be – sometimes giving children false medical advice or steering them towards eating disorders or self-harm. 'It is worrying app stores hosting services like Grok are failing to uphold minimum age limits, and they need to be under greater scrutiny so children are not continually exposed to harm in these spaces.' In its terms of service, Grok advised that the minimum age to use the tool is actually 13, while young people under 18 should receive permission from a parent before using the app. Ofcom has told of 13 adult websites which were 'happy to be named at this stage' and 'represent a broad range of pornography services accessed in the UK' The new Ofcom-regulated age checks being introduced this Friday are also expected of fellow online platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp. And various specialist pornography providers have gone public with how they plan to sign up to the new stipulations. Those announcing last month they would comply by this Friday's deadline were PornHub, the most-visited pornographic service in the UK, BoyfriendTV, Cam4, FrolicMe, inxxx, Jerkmate, LiveHDCams, MyDirtyHobby, RedTube, Streamate, Stripchat, Tube8 and YouPorn. Ofcom said these 13 sites were 'happy to be named at this stage' and 'represent a broad range of pornography services accessed in the UK'. Children as young as EIGHT are finding adult content online New research from Ofcom reveals the extent to which children are accessing porn online, and underlines the need for new measures to protect them. It found that eight per cent of children aged 8-14 in the UK visited an online porn site or app in a month – including around 3 per cent of 8–9-year-olds – the youngest children in the study. Ofcom's research tracked the use of websites and apps by 8–14-year-olds across smartphones, tablets and computers over a month. Boys aged 13-14 (19 per cent) were mostly likely to visit a porn service, significantly more than girls the same age (11 per cent). With older teenagers also likely accessing pornography, the total number of under-18s exposed to adult content will be higher still.
