Age Verification
German Regulator Who Shut Down xHamster Describes Own Mission as 'Kafkaesque'
Tobias Schmid, the obscure local bureaucrat who spearheads Germany’s War on Porn and recently led a successful movement to force ISPs to ban xHamster in the country, gave an interview last week in which he admitted he has “no clear answer” on how to make age verification effective and acknowledged his anti-porn crusade is “a bit Kafkaesque.”
UK Government Unveils Controversial 'Digital Safety Bill'
Boris Johnson’s Conservative government in the U.K. has finally unveiled its controversial “Online Safety Bill,” and introduced it in Parliament today.
UK's Online Safety Bill Criticized Over Expanding Scope
The U.K. government continues expanding the scope of a proposed Online Safety Bill, despite criticism by opponents and digital rights advocates that it is increasingly becoming an out-of-control, repressive “kitchen sink” bill.
French Government Asks Courts for Order to Block Pornhub, 4 Other Tube Sites
France’s media regulator ARCOM has gone to court to demand that the country’s ISPs enforce a total block of five specific adult tube sites — Pornhub, Tukif, xHamster, Xvideos and Xnxx — over their alleged lack of enforcement of a controversial age verification mandate.
Under Pressure From German Government, Twitter Begins Blocking Adult Content
Confirming the fears of sex workers and advocates around the world, Twitter has reportedly begun blocking German profiles that include adult content, after a local government official escalated a campaign to force the platform to implement age verification systems designed for “pornographic websites.”
UK Ministers Confirm New Age Verification Rules Target Twitter, Reddit
U.K. government officials confirmed last week that social media sites “hosting large amounts of pornographic material, such as Twitter and Reddit” would have to “introduce systems to remove adult material in the U.K., or introduce age checks to determine whether users are over 18,” The Guardian reported yesterday.
Australian Top Censor Moving Forward With Controversial Age Verification Scheme
Australia’s eSafety Commissioner, Julie Inman Grant, who has acknowledged having conversations with the U.S.-based, religiously-inspired anti-porn lobby NCOSE, is now “developing a roadmap to implement age verification for online pornographic sites.”
Pokmi Touts Biometrics Age Verification Solution
Pokmi’s age verification solution is the subject of a feature article in the French edition of Forbes magazine.
French Regulator Continues Threatening Tube Sites, Refuses to Provide Guidance on Age Verification
The French government's media regulation agency has said it is currently analyzing the responses of five operators of adult tube sites who were ordered to implement age verification systems, under threat of being completely blocked in the country, after the deadline to comply passed last week.
France, Germany, U.K. Move Toward Segregating Adult Content Behind 'Soft Paywall'
The French government has given another ultimatum to five adult websites to implement age verification measures by today, or face being completely blocked in the entire country.
UK Parliamentary Committee Endorses Restrictive 'Online Safety' Bill
A U.K. parliamentary committee published earlier this week a report on the draft of a restrictive Online Safety Bill being actively promoted by Boris Johnson’s government, several Labor MPs and virtually all the U.K. press.
French Regulator Threatens to Block Top 5 Tube Sites Over Age Verification
Top adult tube sites in France were summoned Monday by the country’s Conseil Supérieur de l’Audiovisuel, a regulatory government body similar to the American FCC, and ordered to “prevent minors from accessing their content before the end of the year” under penalty of being deplatformed by internet service providers.
French Press Uncover Government Plan to Mandate Age Verification
Anonymous sources have leaked the alleged plans of France’s Conseil Supérieur de l’Audiovisuel, a regulatory government body similar to the American FCC, to compel adult sites “before the end of the year” to immediately implement a form of age verification under penalty of being deplatformed by internet service providers.
The Guardian's Latest Anti-Porn Report Neglects to ID Religious Activist
The Guardian today again published a supposed news article advocating requiring age verification for viewing adult content — but which was, in fact, content sponsored by a shadowy U.S. foundation that pays the Anglo-American newspaper to further its purported mission to combat human trafficking.
U.K. Government Ready to Move Forward With Controversial Age Verification Scheme
The conservative U.K. government led by Boris Johnson has signaled to establishment newspaper The Times that it is ready to revive an age verification scheme for online adult content — a plan previously shelved in favor of the pending Online Safety Bill.
UK High Court Allows London Clergyman's Campaign for Age Verification Review
Following a religiously inspired campaign by a London clergyman, the High Court in the U.K. has opened the way for a legal challenge to the government’s 2019 decision to suspend the implementation of an age verification scheme for “pornography sites.”
French Court Rejects Lawsuit Aiming to Block Top Porn Sites
A French court rejected today a suit brought by two French “child protection” nonprofits demanding that the country's main internet service providers totally block several top adult sites, which the nonprofits claim are “too accessible to minors.”
UK-Based Online Video Platforms Threatened With Fines Over 'Harmful' Content
U.K. media regulator Ofcom — currently led by conservative Boris Johnson appointee Melanie Dawes — today issued “new guidance" for video-sharing platform providers regarding what the government considers “measures to protect users from harmful material.”
France: Nonprofits Sue ISPs, Demand 'Block' of Adult Sites
Two French nonprofits claiming to advocate for child protection are suing the main internet service providers in France, demanding total blocking of several adult sites that they consider “too accessible to minors.”
Australia Asks Stakeholders to Weigh In on Age Verification
Australia’s eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman-Grant this week began the consultation process on an age verification scheme for adult content, recommended in February 2020 by the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Social Policy and Legal Affairs.