The UK Online Safety Act is here: What you need to know about the new age verification legislation
Here’s what to know about the UK Online Safety Act as it goes into effect. (Getty)
Here's what to know about the UK Online Safety Act as it goes into effect. (Getty)
The UK Online Safety Act, which forces websites that host adult content in the UK to implement age verification checks, is set to go into effect – here’s what you need to know.
From Friday (25 July), a new set of laws aimed at protecting children from potentially harmful content by insisting that websites hide adult content and features behind age verification checks will go into effect.
Passed in 2023, the UK’s Online Safety Act allows the broadcast and online regulator, Ofcom, to enforce age verification standards based on the adult or potentially harmful content that each website contains.
Those who fail to take action could face hefty fines if they fail to implement a form of ID-check, such as facial recognition, credit or debit card checks, or other forms of ID.
The government says that the act applies to all “search services” and service providers that “allow users to post content online or to interact with each other,” including a wide range of websites, apps, and social media services.
Several major websites have already taken steps to implement appropriate age-verification checks, while other, smaller websites have been forced to cease operations in the UK altogether.
Critics of the bill say that its provisions will make the UK a “much more censored, locked-down” country, accusing the UK government of undermining the “freedom of all internet users.”
The Electronic Frontier Foundation, a non-profit specialising in “defending civil liberties in the digital world,” says the legislation is a “dangerous attempt to remake the internet.”
“Instead of privacy, we will have age verification. Instead of security, we will have backdoors in end-to-end encryption. And instead of free speech, we will have scanning and filtering of all content, all the time.”
What changes does the Online Safety Act make?
For UK-based internet users, the way in which we access content online will change considerably once the Online Safety Act goes into effect.
The primary change is that websites that host user-created content, particularly those hosting porn, must either implement age-verification checks or cease operations in the UK by Friday or face considerable fines.
Content that must be restricted for under-18s includes pornography and content that “encourages, promotes, or provides instructions” for self-harm, eating disorders, or suicide. The Act also requires that content which features bullying, abusive or hateful rhetoric, harmful substances, or depicts or encourages serious violence, injury, or dangerous stunts and challenges must be blocked behind “age-appropriate” restrictions.
Major service providers, including Discord, Bluesky, Reddit, Grindr, Feeld, and more, have already begun implementing age-verification checks to access features such as direct messaging, ‘Not Safe For Work’ (NSFW) content, or VoIP features such as video or voice calling.
Gaming content sites such as Nexus Mods and Steam have also been hit, with the platforms adding checks before users can access adult games or content.
In June, adult content site PornHub announced it would be complying with the law by restricting the entire website behind an age verification check. Other adult or pornography content sites have taken similar steps.
According to Ofcom, age verification checks can include facial recognition software, providing banking or credit card details, email-based age estimation, Photo ID scanning, or mobile network operator checks.
The law also further restricts the kind of content permitted on certain platforms.
New criminal offences introduced in the Act include threatening communications, epilepsy trolling, cyber-flashing (e.g unsolicited dick pics), producing and publishing content that encourages serious self-harm, and sharing false information “intended to cause non-trivial harm.”
What impact will the Online Safety Act have?
Growing concerns over the impact and effectiveness of the UK Online Safety Act have risen as the deadline for the changes approaches.
One major concern is how smaller websites, which may not have the resources to provide age verification checks, will be able to exist under the Act.
Several websites, including decades-old forums with hundreds of thousands of users, have already declared they plan to cease operations in the UK entirely over the Act.
The Green Living Forum, a discussion board created in 2006 with over 500,000 posts on sustainable living, announced in January that the website will close down as of Friday.
Others have expressed concerns over the effectiveness and security of age-verification checks, many of which are being done by third-party systems.
Experts told Mashable that the law risks sensitive data being mishandled since service providers may not know how companies are using the age-verification data.
Ofcom has said that, should the regulator find concerning evidence on how UK data is being handled, it will refer to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).
Finally, others have questioned the effectiveness of the Act itself, with many noting that a virtual private network (VPN), which hides a device’s IP address and allows users to connect to other servers, typically overseas, would allow users to circumnavigate the restrictions.
This allows users to bypass age verification checks by making systems believe they are surfing the web in a different country.
Ofcom has said platforms must not host, share, or permit content encouraging the use of VPNs to bypass age checks, adding that parents should be aware of how VPNs can be used to bypass the Act.
A spokesperson from Aylo, the parent company of PornHub, told the BBC: “We certainly do not recommend that anyone uses technology to bypass the law.”
