Adult site age checks could trigger mass porn pull-out

Adult entertainment sites such as Pornhub and Xhamster could see their web traffic go decidedly limp after the introduction of age-verification checks in April as porn lovers make a hasty withdrawal over fears their personal data could be compromised.
The clampdown is a key tenet of The Digital Economy Act 2017, which, despite being caned by the LibDems, means anyone wanting to access online smut will be forced to prove they are 18 and over.
MindGeek, the company behind PornHub, YouPorn, RedTube and Brazzers, admits it will collect a swathe of personal data in its AgeID system, including names, nationalities, mobile phone numbers, email addresses as well as date and place of birth.
But a survey carried out by broadband comparison site BroadbandGenie has revealed that 56% of UK adults would be unwilling to share their personal data to access porn; 62% were not even aware such regulation was looming.
Responding to claims that the data could be used for nefarious purposes by hackers, a MindGeek spokesman said: “AgeID has been built from the ground up with data protection, data minimisation and the principles of privacy by design at its core, while also complying with the GDPR. Due to the encrypted nature of AgeID’s login credentials, such data cannot be exposed in the unlikely event of a hack.”
All adult websites – not just those based in the UK – will be required to verify the ages of British users or face the possibility of fines up to £250,000 or 5% of their annual turnover. Failure to comply can also lead to the site being completely blocked across ISPs in the UK.

TOPICS:adult websites fraud ID fraud online crime porn pornography