Brits faced with prospect of buying ‘porn pass’ at corner store

IMAGINE ducking down to the newsagent to pick up the newspaper, and perhaps an age verification card so you can watch internet porn.

That’s a potential reality facing Britains after the UK government last year approved the Digital Economy Act 2017. The legislation is designed, in part, to stop children accessing online pornography and one method of age verification being proposed by lawmakers is buying special a “porn pass” at corner stores with an identification card like a passport or drivers license.

The cards will have a 16 digit code meaning horny internet browsers would be able to avoid giving personal details online when asked to prove their age, according to The independent.

The new law will require websites to verify the age of users or face stiff penalties like being blocked by internet service providers or face fines of up to $448,000.

More than 25 million Britons visit porn websites and the government is grappling with how to verify their age while protecting their privacy.

The UK government has said that industry will be responsible to create the verification software, with platforms such as MindGeek’s AgeID cited as one way to verify a user’s age.

But the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) which is overseeing the introduction of the new internet rules has been given more time to draft its guidelines.

David Austin, chief executive with the BBFC, told the UK’s Daily Telegraph that implementing an age verification process would be “simpler than people think”.

A separate government spokesperson said for those verifying their age online, data security will be a high priority.

“A wide variety of online age verification solutions exist, or are in development, and they will have to abide by these high standards. We expect data security to be a high priority in the BBFC’s guidance on age verification arrangements,” he said.

While selling porn passes at local newsagents is just one potential idea, many have reacted poorly to the proposal saying they would feel too embarrassed to buy one at their local store.