Update – March 19, 2019: The UK porn block law has been pushed back again. Currently, there is no official start date for this law but the latest statements suggest it will be rolled out by April 21, 2019.
Original article: The UK government is getting ready to enact its latest online surveillance effort by blocking online porn from April 1 and requiring porn consumers to register with its age verification system. The UK government claims this will protect children online but fails to disclose that it will also prevent porn consumers from using the internet anonymously and track their porn consumption habits.
According to a report from The Sun, here’s what will happen when UK citizens attempt to access online porn from April 1:
When someone first clicks on a site, they’ll be asked to register with AgeID and verify their age using a Mobile SMS, credit card, passport, or driving license.
Users will then be able to use their AgeID username or password to access all porn sites that use AgeID – though some may use different age verification systems.
The report says that UK citizens will also be able to access online porn by purchasing ID cards which link to an app:
As well as registering with AgeID, Brits will also be able to access porn sites using a voucher you can buy from high street shops.
Thousands of shops will offer the special ID cards, which users can link to an app known as Portes.
This new porn block and age verification system was approved as part of the Digital Economy Act 2017 and is expected to come into effect on April 1. However, it has already been pushed back twice, so it’s possible it could be postponed again.
While these rules have been introduced under the guise of protecting children online, their true intention seems to be to stop UK citizens browsing the internet anonymously.
Porn is one of the most popular types of content online with the porn site PornHub attracting over 165 million UK visits every month according to SimilarWeb. By requiring UK porn consumers to register with an age verification system or via an app, the UK government will gain direct access to their porn viewing habits. And once the UK government has used the popularity of porn to onboard people into its age verification system, it could then make using this system a requirement for viewing other types of online content such as age-restricted videos on YouTube, age-restricted games, and age-restricted movies.
Fortunately, UK internet users should be able to bypass this age verification system by using a VPN (our referral link). And as an added bonus, using a VPN will also limit the internet browsing data the UK government can collect through the Investigatory Powers Act 2016 (also known as the Snooper’s Charter).
