Could Porn Age Checks Back Fire?

[ToraToraTora]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-42577460

[Mamyalynne]

It certainly could in some cases, almost impossible to find a good solution.

[jim360]

How ironic that porn age checks might encourage people to seek a back door.

[sunny-dave]

What a great idea - set up a system that encourages adolescents to 'borrow' their parent's credit card and put the details into any number of dubious sites as 'verification'.

I cvan hear the shysters laughing their socks off already ...

[mikey4444]

But kids can access the Dark Web at the moment, so I am unsure compulsory ages checks will make any difference ?

[Kromovaracun]

It's a stupid idea in the first place because it is the job of parents to decide what is/isn't appropriate for their child. But this idea that children will flock to the darkweb seems fanciful to me. One needs special browsers to do it, and downloading such a browser (which can only be done on a standard one) will immediately earn you the attention of the security services.

All the policy will do is inconvenience (and possibly even compromise) perfectly innocent adults looking to get their rocks off to perfectly legal material. For the benefit of whining parents.

[Old_Geezer]

I'm unsure how they intend to prove age but if they expect adults to be giving out card details to porn sites willy nilly then of course folk are going to refuse, it's just common sense. So their option is either to yet the State's 'Big Brother' bar them from porn (unlikely to be a popular choice) or get involved in dodgy ways to avoid it. Not the hoped for result.

[Gromit]

Easier to just use a VPN than the dark web.

I have travelled to other countries that attempt to block the internet to users, and it simply does not work.

In this instance, though the intention is a good one, it will fail. Basically, the only way to stop under age people seeing porn is to supervise or monitor their computer use.
If they have mobile phones (that is a whole different debate) then parental settings should be used, and the phone should be inspected. There are even apps that can be put on a childs phone, so their use can be monitorred. But very few parents supervise their children because they are not really that bothered.

In conclusion. There will be no effect, good or bad, from this useless legislation.

[Togo]

It is a point I feel. Again no real thought about cause and effect from our legislators.
Kroma, can I just say. I don't think that I would call myself "unaware" or ignorant regarding web use or computers, but when my Son, bless him, was at home and well into his Runescape and World of Warcraft he actually had Tor loaded and was using our machine as a proxy server and mining Bitcoin. He had successfully hidden it from me on a "guest" account that was not showing in the usual places(hidden away in a folder).He had been taught how to do it on the games forums that were part and parcel of the gaming community. Any of us can download Tor right now in 20 minutes or so. It is not though what you would call user friendly and if you think that you need to be aware on the usual browsers you need to be 10 times so on there. He actually had 3 bitcoin at one time and sold them some years ago for a couple of £k. Kids know this stuff believe me. The little git never gave me a penny of it, but I made the pc and paid for the internet and all the kit he needed to take part. Dohh.

[Kromovaracun]

Your son sounds exceptionally bright and resourceful, Togo. I know the kinds of forums you mean - I used to spend a lot of time on them when I was younger (you'd find all sorts of cringey posts if you could google my original web handle). It's certainly not complicated to download Tor - but doing so will immediately put you on a list because it is used so extensively for criminal activity. Using it at all just is not worth the risk of what you can be exposed to unless you know what you are doing.

[Old_Geezer]

LET !!!!!

[Old_Geezer]

Tor would be so excessively used after any such move that the lists would be so long as to be much less value. Who is going to trawl through millions of porn watchers in order to spot the now small percentage criminal element ?

[Togo]

Tell me about it Kromo, I am talking you know, of when he was 14yrs old or so. Went ballistic when I found out but behind his back had a damned good laugh. We built that PC together and then the one that I am now using some years ago. Every time upgraded cards and boards were available they were a must, drove me mad. Clocking cards and cooking power supplies was a norm. Every time I tried to get online the keyboard was left doctored up with shortcuts and lawd knows what. Mare......Happy Days.

[youngmafbog]

//From May people will have to prove they are 18 before accessing UK websites.//

Unless I am reading it wrongly non UK sites will not be affected so sites will simply move abroad?

As usual a knee jerk reaction with no thought of the consequences.

[jno]

you still at Wimbledon, OG?

[emmie]

it is possible it would seem.

[Old_Geezer]

Never been at Wimbledon :-)

[douglas9401]

Some might see 'willy nilly' as the ultimate goal of this. :-)

[Old_Geezer]

Being silly.

[EDDIE51]

Age verification by providing credit card details?. What about the many thousands of people who do not have credit cards?
Anyway if an under 18 wants to watch an age verified site I am sure they will have no problem finding credit card details of a parent or adult relative, and using that. Good idea but it isn't going to work.

[naomi24]

^That would only happen once, Eddie. The cardholder would soon know about it.