Coming April 2018 in the UK, adult websites will be required by law to verify the ages of British visitors. This invasive verification could be in the form of a driving license, passport, or recognizable ID document that would have to be uploaded or scanned to the adult website in question. If an ID is not properly verified, adult websites could face major fines up to £250,000 or 5% of their turnover. The time of big brother is here, and he’ll know what you’re up to!
According to a recent survey conducted by BroadbandGenie, 56% of UK adults would be unwilling to share personal information to access said websites. Additionally, 62% of the respondents in this survey explained that they weren’t aware of the impending regulation. Put simply, this law is something that most people don’t want or even know about.
The privacy violations are immediately obvious to most UK adults, which is why they are unwilling to share information. If companies are storing large databases of personal information, as well as linking this information to your name, then it’s very easy for profiles and viewing habits to form and build up within systems.
If profiles of users got leaked showing viewing history and possible habits, it could be very embarrassing or harming to the general internet viewer. Imagine a particularly adventurous or alluring fetish being found out by family members or coworkers due to a leak. We’ve seen this happen already! It’s only a matter of time before these future databases are hacked, with clear examples of such with websites like Ashley Madison, the Yahoo Data Breach, multiple Target breaches, as well as the latest Equifax breaches that took place last year.
The validity and effectiveness of the new laws restricting content based on verification is also being criticized. It’s very easy to find adult content on the internet outside of specific adult websites. Websites like Reddit, Tumblr, and even Twitter and YouTube often unintentionally host adult content that might slip by filters without requiring proper age verification which makes the entire system’s general purpose pointless.
Other tools like that of TorGuard VPN can also be used to bypass filters, restrictions, and invasive data logging. By using a VPN, users in the UK can rest assured that their privacy is kept to themselves and not leaked in the future.
