Adult websites could require visitors to take a face-scanning selfie to prove they are over 18. Photo / 123RF
Adult websites could require visitors to take a face-scanning selfie to prove they are over 18. Photo / 123RF
Adult websites could require visitors to take a face-scanning selfie to prove they are over 18 under plans to prevent children accessing pornography.
Ofcom, which will administer new online safety laws designed to protect children online, said websites could use “facial age estimation” systems to confirmthey are adults.
The technology is seen by some as a more privacy-friendly alternative to uploading personal IDs or credit cards because it does not require personal information to be entered.
Ofcom says that children first see online pornography at an average age of 13 and a quarter see it by the age of 11.
Age estimation systems are already used by social media companies like Instagram to check people’s ages and use artificial intelligence to guess a person’s age based on thousands of pictures that the system has been trained on.
Yoti, one technology provider that is used by Instagram and the adult site OnlyFans, says it deletes images as soon as they are checked.
The company says its technology typically detects the ages of 13 to 19-year-olds with estimates that are typically accurate within 1.52 years. It identifies 13 to 17-year-olds as being under 23 with a high degree of accuracy, correct 99.65pc of the time.
Aylo, a company that operates many of the world’s biggest pornography sites, has used the technology to verify users who upload content.
Ofcom said that websites using the technology would have to use a method similar to the “challenge 25″ system used to allow adults to buy alcohol and enter nightclubs.
Adult websites could require visitors to take a face-scanning selfie to prove they are over 18. Photo / 123RF
If an age estimation says somebody could be below that threshold, they would have to use an alternative verification system such as a credit card or photo ID.
Ofcom said age estimation systems were one of five ways porn websites could prevent children accessing the sites. Others were linking a bank account, uploading a photo ID along with a selfie, using data from a mobile network or entering credit card details.
More easily bypassed checks, such as users declaring their age or online payment methods that do not require a person to be 18, will not be regarded as acceptable.
The regulator said it would consult on the rules before beginning to enforce them, which it expects in 2025.
Dame Melanie Dawes, Ofcom’s chief executive, said: “Pornography is too readily accessible to children online, and the new online safety laws are clear that must change.
“Our practical guidance sets out a range of methods for highly effective age checks. We’re clear that weaker methods – such as allowing users to self-declare their age – won’t meet this standard.
“Regardless of their approach, we expect all services to offer robust protection to children from stumbling across pornography, and also to take care that privacy rights and freedoms for adults to access legal content are safeguarded.”
A string of American states have introduced age verification laws in recent months, but the rules have been met with legal challenges.
Ofcom says four in five adults support age assurance on adult websites.
