The United Kingdom government announced new measures to ensure online safety by mandating that websites publishing pornographic content verify the users’ age on Tuesday. In keeping with Safer Internet Day, the Department for Digital, Media, Culture and Sport (DCMS) announced the prohibition on underage kids accessing adult content.
You can verify the age of a user by asking them to provide their credit card details or using a third-party service to verify their age. According to the bill, websites that fail to act could be fined up to 10 percent of their global turnover. The Online Safety Bill is expected to be introduced to parliament over the next few months and aims to protect users from harmful content, the BBC reports.
In a statement, Chris Philp, minister of the digital economy, said parents deserve the peace of mind that their children are protected online. ‘We are strengthening the Online Safety Bill so that it covers all porn sites to ensure we achieve our aim of making the web a safer place for children,’ he added. The government said the onus now falls on companies to decide on how to comply with their new legal duty.
According to the government, Ofcom may recommend that companies use age verification technologies that minimize the handling of user data, adding, ‘It is important that the bill is flexible so that it can support future innovation and the development of more effective technologies’.
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