Age verification: Difference between revisions

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When accessing a platform or website that may contain content not suitable for all audiences may force you to register for the platform along with verifying your age by one of the methods mentioned previously. Sites that likely don't use any form of account system will probably have a popup instead requiring you to verify your age before even serving the content you were trying to access.

== Why is this a problem? ==

==Why is this a problem?==

The Online Safety Act is already exerting extraterritorial control through the age‑verification and validation changes it prompts, which are being implemented in the U.S. even though those companies customer bases are not at all subject to UK law. This stems from the Act’s vague, overly broad language requiring companies to comply whenever users are located in the UK. Because the law effectively ignores national borders, non‑UK companies face only two options: geo‑block affected content for UK users or apply the same verification measures globally.

=== Customer Profiling ===

Geo‑blocking would severely disrupt services and business relationships that where already in place with UK customers before the Online Safety Act, so many companies choose to implement the changes for all users resulting in practical overreach beyond the UK. A reason for this is Ofcoms<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-01-31 |title=What is Ofcom? |url=https://www.ofcom.org.uk/about-ofcom/what-we-do/what-is-ofcom |url-status=live |access-date=2026-04-07 |website=https://www.ofcom.org.uk}}</ref> statutory powers to require platforms to use “accredited technology” to detect illegal content. As such systems would have to be implemented onto all the content this again would be an overreach of their precieved authorities. Companys that do not comply are already beeing fined for this.

Even if the UK Government has “paused” its demand for implementing “accredited technology,” there is no practical way to meet the vague requirement set out by Ofcom in the Online Safety Act. The proposal ignores that smaller companies would likely be forced to close under the financial burden of compliance, producing a sterilized market with reduced competition only firms with deep pockets can comply. That still does not prevent Ofcom from fining companies that fail to comply.

Examples:

Webpage 4chan:

https://www.ofcom.org.uk/online-safety/illegal-and-harmful-content/investigation-into-4chan-and-its-compliance-with-duties-to-protect-its-users-from-illegal-content

AVS GROUP LIMITED:

https://www.ofcom.org.uk/online-safety/protecting-children/investigation-into-avs-group-ltds-compliance-with-the-duty-to-prevent-children-from-encountering-pornographic-content-through-the-use-of-age-assurance

The provider of Im.ge:

https://www.ofcom.org.uk/online-safety/illegal-and-harmful-content/investigation-into-the-provider-of-im.ge-and-its-compliance-with-duties-to-protect-its-users-from-illegal-content

Youngtek Solutions Ltd:

https://www.ofcom.org.uk/online-safety/protecting-children/investigation-into-youngtek-solutions-ltds-compliance-with-the-duty-to-prevent-children-from-encountering-pornographic-content-through-the-use-of-age-assurance

===Customer Profiling===

Having companies easily able to identify you means they can track you more efficiently and sell that shared profile to other companies such as ad agencies that then start targeting you specifically.

=== Goverment overreach ===

===Goverment overreach===

Governments can also more easily track online movements and find out who you are. Saying something that may go against their own agenda may end up with a police raid, heavy interrogation, and prison time.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Liu |first=John |date=2025-06-20 |title=China tightens internet controls with new centralized form of virtual ID |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2025/06/20/tech/china-censorship-internet-id-hnk-intl#:~:text=%E2%80%9CThis%20is%20a%20state%2Dled,an%20infrastructure%20of%20digital%20totalitarianism.%E2%80%9D |access-date=2025-09-04 |work=CNN |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250620233250/https://edition.cnn.com/2025/06/20/tech/china-censorship-internet-id-hnk-intl |archive-date=2025-06-20 }}</ref>

@@ Line 9: / Line 9: @@
 When accessing a platform or website that may contain content not suitable for all audiences may force you to register for the platform along with verifying your age by one of the methods mentioned previously. Sites that likely don't use any form of account system will probably have a popup instead requiring you to verify your age before even serving the content you were trying to access.
-== Why is this a problem? ==
+==Why is this a problem?==
+The Online Safety Act is already exerting extraterritorial control through the age‑verification and validation changes it prompts, which are being implemented in the U.S. even though those companies customer bases are not at all subject to UK law. This stems from the Act’s vague, overly broad language requiring companies to comply whenever users are located in the UK. Because the law effectively ignores national borders, non‑UK companies face only two options: geo‑block affected content for UK users or apply the same verification measures globally.
-=== Customer Profiling ===
+Geo‑blocking would severely disrupt services and business relationships that where already in place with UK customers before the Online Safety Act, so many companies choose to implement the changes for all users resulting in practical overreach beyond the UK. A reason for this is Ofcoms<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-01-31 |title=What is Ofcom? |url=https://www.ofcom.org.uk/about-ofcom/what-we-do/what-is-ofcom |url-status=live |access-date=2026-04-07 |website=https://www.ofcom.org.uk}}</ref> statutory powers to require platforms to use “accredited technology” to detect illegal content. As such systems would have to be implemented onto all the content this again would be an overreach of their precieved authorities. Companys that do not comply are already beeing fined for this.
+Even if the UK Government has “paused” its demand for implementing “accredited technology,” there is no practical way to meet the vague requirement set out by Ofcom in the Online Safety Act. The proposal ignores that smaller companies would likely be forced to close under the financial burden of compliance, producing a sterilized market with reduced competition only firms with deep pockets can comply. That still does not prevent Ofcom from fining companies that fail to comply.
+Examples:
+Webpage 4chan:
+https://www.ofcom.org.uk/online-safety/illegal-and-harmful-content/investigation-into-4chan-and-its-compliance-with-duties-to-protect-its-users-from-illegal-content
+AVS GROUP LIMITED:
+https://www.ofcom.org.uk/online-safety/protecting-children/investigation-into-avs-group-ltds-compliance-with-the-duty-to-prevent-children-from-encountering-pornographic-content-through-the-use-of-age-assurance
+The provider of Im.ge:
+https://www.ofcom.org.uk/online-safety/illegal-and-harmful-content/investigation-into-the-provider-of-im.ge-and-its-compliance-with-duties-to-protect-its-users-from-illegal-content
+Youngtek Solutions Ltd:
+https://www.ofcom.org.uk/online-safety/protecting-children/investigation-into-youngtek-solutions-ltds-compliance-with-the-duty-to-prevent-children-from-encountering-pornographic-content-through-the-use-of-age-assurance
+===Customer Profiling===
 Having companies easily able to identify you means they can track you more efficiently and sell that shared profile to other companies such as ad agencies that then start targeting you specifically.
-=== Goverment overreach ===
+===Goverment overreach===
 Governments can also more easily track online movements and find out who you are. Saying something that may go against their own agenda may end up with a police raid, heavy interrogation, and prison time.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Liu |first=John |date=2025-06-20 |title=China tightens internet controls with new centralized form of virtual ID |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2025/06/20/tech/china-censorship-internet-id-hnk-intl#:~:text=%E2%80%9CThis%20is%20a%20state%2Dled,an%20infrastructure%20of%20digital%20totalitarianism.%E2%80%9D |access-date=2025-09-04 |work=CNN |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250620233250/https://edition.cnn.com/2025/06/20/tech/china-censorship-internet-id-hnk-intl |archive-date=2025-06-20 }}</ref>