The UK Will Soon Keep a Permanent Record of Everyone Who Watches Porn

The UK is trying to register people's browsing habits? Guess it's time to go back to using VPNs for daily browsing.

 

As I read this, it's not the government per se that will keep records. But of course, they'll have access to them, so it's a moot point.

The Digital Economy Act 2017 will require commercial pornographic websites to verify that users are at least 18 years of age. Implementation is expected before 2019. Failure to comply will be punished by substantial fines, and also pressure on commercial partners to deny services. Also, ISPs will be required to block access to pornographic websites, and customers must explicitly opt out to allow access. Although there will be far less regulation of social media, informal providers of pornographic content may be prosecuted, or at least penalized indirectly through payment processors etc.

So yes, there will be records for those who watch porn, held both by ISPs and by commercial providers. It's not clear what sorts of credentials will be acceptable as proof of age. Possibilities include passports, driving licenses, voting records, credit cards and mobile accounts. But whatever, proof will involve disclosing identity, both to ISPs and to providers.

I've read that age-verification data will be covered by the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). But then, the UK will be leaving the EU, so just what data protections will apply. And even though the UK government won't be keeping these records, "lawful access" is explicitly allowed under GDPR. But perhaps the greatest risk is data breaches.

But of course, UK residents can just use VPN services to evade all of this, by using servers in countries that don't restrict access to pornography. ISPs won't know what their customers are accessing, and commercial pornographic websites won't know that their customers are subject to UK law.

 

UK.gov to press ahead with online smut checks (but expects £10m in legals in year 1)
If you punt 33% pr0n or less, you're in the clear, say draft rules
October 17, 2018
https://www.theregister.co.uk/2018/10/17/age_verification_legislation_bbfc/

 

The age-verification is an obvious smokescreen for identity verification, because the mechanisms considered in the Guidance rather obviously ties to your identity even though via third party (credit card, driving licence, mobile phone). Rather obviously, a record will be kept which links you to one of those numbers, and they are widely available on criminal and government databases.

To add to this, government will spend public money making access to justice extremely expensive (i.e. impossible for anyone but the rich).

 

Shheesh we should of never had allowed the plebs to read with free public librarys, never mind the right to justice.

 

After reading through this thread it seems painfully obvious to me that VPN chains and TOR will easily take folks "technologically out of the country" therefore voiding a trail. Even without this law I would think a user would disappear just because they can and should obfuscate their activities.

 

Yeah, but (as they freely admit) people can easily get around all that, by using VPN services. So whatever.

 

UK gov plans to extend porn age checks to social media sites
November 14, 2018
https://www.theinquirer.net/inquire...-extend-porn-age-checks-to-social-media-sites

 

https://cdn.someecards.com/posts/tumblroebs6bwcdw1uexy74o11280-dtJkof.jpg

As others said, this will promote the usage of VPNs to teens, so they'll be more "tech-savvy", which I think is a good thing

 

More nodding dogs green-light terrible UK.gov pr0n age verification plans
January 4, 2019
https://www.theregister.co.uk/2019/01/04/uk_age_verification_smut_more_nodding_dogs/

 

Hey, just look it as promotion for VPN use. More general VPN use means a larger crowd to hide in. And porn lover are a huge crowd.

Yet another example of sharpening the conflict between privacy and authoritarianism

 

Now you know why free public libraries are closing down.

 

Everything we know about the UK's plan to block online porn

https://www.wired.co.uk/article/porn-block-ban-in-the-uk-age-verifcation-law

 

El Reg talks to PornHub sister firm AgeID – and an indie pornographer – about age verification
February 4, 2019
https://www.theregister.co.uk/2019/02/04/mindgeek_ageid_security_privacy_assessment/

 

Age checks for online pr0n? I've never heard of it but it sounds like a good idea – survey
ID verification biz: Most Brits don't know smut checks are coming, 60% approve
February 28, 2019
https://www.theregister.co.uk/2019/02/28/age_check_adult_content_survey_unaware/

 

UK porn blocks: Start date for ID checks on adult videos to be announced 'soon' by government
Plan to force people to prove they are adults has been repeatedly delayed
March 11, 2019
https://www.independent.co.uk/life-...-youporn-mindgeek-uk-government-a8818086.html

 

Yawn. VPNs. Whatever.

 

76 per cent of Brits have no idea about impending porn block
March 18, 2019
https://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/3072745/76-of-brits-have-no-idea-of-impending-porn-block

 

Maybe one of the VPN providers lobbied for it

 

I have to point out unless you have a compelling reason to hide online. Like running for office, wait that isn't a concern anymore. If the 3letters are looking at you this might mean big trouble for you. Whereas if you hadn't used a VPN which other than here is considered extraordinary measures they'd move right past you maybe even before slogging all your info past their sniffers.

 

The UK porn block isn’t coming into force from 1 April
March 28, 2019
https://inews.co.uk/news/technology/the-uk-porn-block-isnt-coming-into-force-from-1-april/

 

So are VPNs advertising about this yet?

 

As fars as I now, UK uses ISP's DNS servers to block anything, just change DNS and that is it, it is not like China's firewall, it is more like a joke.

 

The ISP side porn filters are indeed done via their DNS servers (and easily turned off in your account preferences). The forthcoming porn block though is totally different and is done via the websites themselves based on your IP address.

 

UK Announces Introduction of Online Pornography Age Checks in July
April 17, 2019
https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/ne...ion-of-online-pornography-age-checks-in-july/