Age verification

chrisw

A number of web sites are now requiring age verification. Ofcom suggests 7 different methods by which the sites could carry out the verification.

https://www.ofcom.org.uk/online-safety/protecting-children/age-checks-for-online-safety--what-you-need-to-know-as-a-user

Bearing in mind some of these sites are a bit dodgy in the first place, which would be the most risk free method of identification? ie, where your ID or bank details aren't likely to be compromised or your details aren't likely to be released on a database in the future?

Asking for a friend.

RumRat

A VPN.....

MyRealNameToo

chrisw said:

A number of web sites are now requiring age verification. Ofcom suggests 7 different methods by which the sites could carry out the verification.

Bearing in mind some of these sites are a bit dodgy in the first place, which would be the most risk free method of identification? ie, where your ID or bank details aren't likely to be compromised or your details aren't likely to be released on a database in the future?

Asking for a friend.

VPN to appear in another jurisdiction where age verification isnt mandatory. 

If you need to admit you are in the UK for some reason probably mobile phone verification as the worst case is people spamming you with texts/calls and most of us gets lots of that already anyway. Really depends on what your concerns are, some may having a photo of your face is less likely to lead to fraud but some may be concerned their face will then be superimposed over a model's

Vitor

• Facial age estimation – you show your face via photo or video, and technology analyses it to estimate your age. 

Use a picture of Keir Starmer? Suggesting for a friend

QrizB

Vitor said:

• Facial age estimation – you show your face via photo or video, and technology analyses it to estimate your age. 

Use a picture of Keir Starmer?

That's not as silly an idea as all that.

An internet acquaintance has managed to pass photo-based AV using stock photos.

flaneurs_lobster

Having a service "verify" your age by looking at your face does seem to offer less risk of personal data leakage than allowing access to banking or credit card data.

Whether someone wishes a pornography site to take photos of their face I guess is down to an individual's judgement as to the bona fides of any assurances that the site gives about data retention.

Like most interactions online, you will probably trust the companies that are known by you to be legitimate, so Google, Microsoft and Pornhub are less likely to spaff your personal data than sites whose provenance is less obvious. 

B0bbyEwing

Vitor said:

• Facial age estimation – you show your face via photo or video, and technology analyses it to estimate your age. 

Use a picture of Keir Starmer? Suggesting for a friend

Wonder if someone would use his picture for verification & then go on some proper shady sites. 
Then get busted themselves for it. 

MattMattMattUK

RumRat said:

A VPN.....

A VPN is the way to go, everything else seems to be a huge data risk.

MyRealNameToo

MattMattMattUK said:

RumRat said:

A VPN.....

A VPN is the way to go, everything else seems to be a huge data risk.

Was also my first recommendation however your choices are getting smaller as the UK is not the only place implementing this kind of thing. 

Newcad

Also bear in mind that many sites can now spot if/when a VPN is in use and block them as a matter of policy.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VPN_blocking

TBH the requirement to age-verify for adult content online is one step closer to Big-Brother.
(Puts tin-foil on head).

Once it starts where does it stop? How long before you have to age-verify to stream movies? I'm not talking adult films but blockbuster movies.

Such intrusive verification measures are often supposedly justified by cries of "If you have nothing to hide then it isn't a problem".
However just because I have nothing to hide doesn't mean that I should be made to share personal details with everybody who asks, or go without goods or services if I don't.

In the end the new age-verification measures for accessing adult sites is going to drive some people from the respectable adult sites (and yes I'm aware that some people would call that an oxymoron) to much more dodgy sites that don't care and will no doubt be loaded with spam, malware, and scams, or trying to avoid verificatiom may even push them as far as the dark web.
I also have no doubt that sites will be set up with not much actual content but with the sole intention of getting the gullible to give them lots of personal data when signing up.

Like many 'do gooder' ideas age-verification online only considers one aim and ignores the consequences.
You can't even sensibly debate it because the extremists from both sides will hijack any such debate to shout out their views.

(Removes tin-foil).

bob2302

I imagine that in the long-term, third-parties will handle this - maybe the likes of Paypal, Ccbill etc.