Overview

• The UK's Internet regulator, Ofcom, has outlined draft guidance for age verification on porn sites, including AI age checks and digital ID wallets, as part of the country's new Internet rulebook.
• The guidance suggests age checks could include signing into Open Banking, uploading a passport and taking a live selfie, or using AI to assess whether a user looks old enough to view adult content.
• Other age assurance technologies given preliminary approval include credit card checks, with approval by the issuing bank deemed evidence of age.
• The guidance also suggests that all UK mobile providers could automatically apply a default content restriction that prevents children from accessing age-restricted websites.
• The Online Safety Act, passed in October, requires providers of pornographic content with a significant number of UK users to ensure minors do not encounter adult material by carrying out highly effective age checks.