DCMS Pushes Porn Age Verification Deadline Back “Indefinitely”

DCMS Pushes Porn Age Verification Deadline Back “Indefinitely”

The planned age verification scheme, which would have prevented access to pornographic material to anyone who was unable to prove their age, is to be delayed indefinitely.



According to Sky News, Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) Secretary Jeremy Wright is expected to announce the delay later today. The verification system was due to come into force on July 15, with website visitors expected to prove their age and identity by uploading scans of passports or driving licenses, or by using age-verification cards sold by newsagents.



Privacy lobbyists the Open Rights Group said “that the scheme provides little assurance to the 20 million adults that are estimated to watch porn in the UK” calling it a “privacy timebomb” as it would lead to a central database of identities which need to be maintained.



The Open Rights Group also said that as the standard was voluntary, there was no obligation for age verification providers to apply it, and no penalties for those verifiers who sign up to the standard and fail to meet its requirements.



Its executive director Jim Killock said: “While it’s very embarrassing to delay age verification for the third time, this is an opportunity for the Government to address the many problems that this ill-thought through policy poses.



“Age verification providers have warned that they are not ready; the BBFC’s standard to protect data has been shown to be ineffective. The Government needs to use this delay to in ..

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