EFF's Submission to Ofcom's Consultation on Illegal Harms
The Online Safety Act (OSA) aims to make the UK the safest place online, but views on harmful content vary. EFF opposes the Act for its potential censorship and privacy infringement. [ more ]
Pornography viewers could be forced to scan their faces before watching videos
UK online safety regulator Ofcom has published guidance on enforcing the Online Safety Act, which requires adult websites to verify the age of viewers.
Methods recommended include facial scanning, open banking, photo ID matching, mobile network age checks, credit card checks, and digital identity wallets. [ more ]
Ofcom has launched a consultation on how porn sites should verify user ages to comply with the Online Safety Act.
The regulator's guidelines include options like having a bank or mobile network confirm age or using a credit card available only to those 18 and older. [ more ]
The UK could require facial scans or photo IDs to view online porn
The UK's Office of Communications (Ofcom) has published draft age-restriction guidelines for online services hosting explicit sexual content as part of the Online Safety Act.
The guidelines require platforms to ensure children are not able to easily access adult content, with fines of up to £18 million for non-compliance. [ more ]
Unproven AI face scans may estimate age for porn access in UK
AI face detection can be used to estimate user ages and block minors from accessing pornography on adult sites in the UK.
The UK's Office of Communications acknowledges that there are concerns about the fairness, reliability, and effectiveness of AI age estimation methods. [ more ]
Ofcom draft guidance suggests scanning the faces of porn users to verify their age and implement extra checks for young-looking adults.
Privacy campaigners have raised concerns about the potential risks and consequences of collecting sensitive personal information for age verification. [ more ]
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