This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2018/mar/15/twitter-government-plans-online-porn-age-checks-verification-rules
The article has changed 8 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 3 | Version 4 |
|---|---|
| Twitter a 'particular challenge' for plans for online pornography age checks | Twitter a 'particular challenge' for plans for online pornography age checks |
| (about 17 hours later) | |
| Twitter and other social media companies have so far refused to engage with the government’s plans to introduce age checks to limit underage access to online pornography, an organisation that strongly influenced the rules has said. | Twitter and other social media companies have so far refused to engage with the government’s plans to introduce age checks to limit underage access to online pornography, an organisation that strongly influenced the rules has said. |
| Lord Erroll, a crossbench peer who chairs the Digital Policy Alliance (DPA) – a thinktank that has collaborated with the government to draft the rules on age verification (AV), admitted the ultimate sanction intended for sites that fail to implement AV is unlikely to be applied to Twitter. | Lord Erroll, a crossbench peer who chairs the Digital Policy Alliance (DPA) – a thinktank that has collaborated with the government to draft the rules on age verification (AV), admitted the ultimate sanction intended for sites that fail to implement AV is unlikely to be applied to Twitter. |
| Unlike Instagram and Facebook, Twitter has no rules against the posting of sexually explicit material and hosts many accounts that promote publishers and stars of pornography. | Unlike Instagram and Facebook, Twitter has no rules against the posting of sexually explicit material and hosts many accounts that promote publishers and stars of pornography. |
| “The challenge with that is if you block Twitter, people will just say this is an overreaction, it’s mad, and it would not go down well in public,” Erroll said. | “The challenge with that is if you block Twitter, people will just say this is an overreaction, it’s mad, and it would not go down well in public,” Erroll said. |
| The other option would be to tell credit card companies to withdraw payment services. However, Erroll admitted that such a penalty was intended for recalcitrant pornography sites, rather than the likes of Twitter and Snapchat. | The other option would be to tell credit card companies to withdraw payment services. However, Erroll admitted that such a penalty was intended for recalcitrant pornography sites, rather than the likes of Twitter and Snapchat. |
| Rudd Apsey, a DPA director, said Twitter had been “a particular challenge”, although it would be included under the AV rules as an “ancillary service provider”. | Rudd Apsey, a DPA director, said Twitter had been “a particular challenge”, although it would be included under the AV rules as an “ancillary service provider”. |
| “We as an industry would like to see more verification in that space,” he said. “But at this stage, they haven’t approached us about it.” | “We as an industry would like to see more verification in that space,” he said. “But at this stage, they haven’t approached us about it.” |
| Twitter said it had tools to limit the visibility of low-quality content. Adult material is classed by the company as “sensitive”. | Twitter said it had tools to limit the visibility of low-quality content. Adult material is classed by the company as “sensitive”. |
| Apsey and Erroll spoke at a showcase of AV services, which will soon become mandatory for all pornographic websites. The requirement had been due to be enforced in April, but the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport announced this week that it would be pushed back to an unspecified date later this year. | Apsey and Erroll spoke at a showcase of AV services, which will soon become mandatory for all pornographic websites. The requirement had been due to be enforced in April, but the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport announced this week that it would be pushed back to an unspecified date later this year. |
| All the products demonstrated would abide by a new code of practice (PAS 1296), which has been sponsored by the DPA and is due to be published on Monday. Apsey stressed the privacy aspect of the technologies, which would separate identity providers and websites, to prevent either side from building a database of users’ pornography browsing history. | All the products demonstrated would abide by a new code of practice (PAS 1296), which has been sponsored by the DPA and is due to be published on Monday. Apsey stressed the privacy aspect of the technologies, which would separate identity providers and websites, to prevent either side from building a database of users’ pornography browsing history. |
| The industry faces a battle to gain the trust of consumers. Polling carried out in January by a broadband comparison site found 56% of web users would not trust their details with third-party AV services. | The industry faces a battle to gain the trust of consumers. Polling carried out in January by a broadband comparison site found 56% of web users would not trust their details with third-party AV services. |
| Absent from the showcase was AgeID, the AV solution developed by MindGeek, the world’s biggest pornography publisher. Observers expect AgeID will become the market leader once age checks become mandatory, since MindGeek controls several of the most popular porn sites. | Absent from the showcase was AgeID, the AV solution developed by MindGeek, the world’s biggest pornography publisher. Observers expect AgeID will become the market leader once age checks become mandatory, since MindGeek controls several of the most popular porn sites. |
| The regulatory environment surrounding age checks on pornography is still unclear, with the British Board of Film Classification, appointed to regulate the policy, only now consulting on guidance for the industry. | The regulatory environment surrounding age checks on pornography is still unclear, with the British Board of Film Classification, appointed to regulate the policy, only now consulting on guidance for the industry. |
| There is no requirement for sites to offer multiple means of AV, or strict rules on anonymity beyond those stipulated by the General Data Protection Regulation, which comes into force in May. | There is no requirement for sites to offer multiple means of AV, or strict rules on anonymity beyond those stipulated by the General Data Protection Regulation, which comes into force in May. |
| Jim Killock of the Open Rights Group said the GDPR would provide only general rules unsuited to the particularly sensitive information involved in the age verification of pornographic websites. | Jim Killock of the Open Rights Group said the GDPR would provide only general rules unsuited to the particularly sensitive information involved in the age verification of pornographic websites. |
| Among those opposed to the AV requirements have been small-scale pornogtraphy producers. Erika Lust, a Swedish director of feminist-influenced pornography, said the rules as currently drafted would cement the dominance of MindGeek over the industry, whose output mostly consists of pornography “made by men for men”. | Among those opposed to the AV requirements have been small-scale pornogtraphy producers. Erika Lust, a Swedish director of feminist-influenced pornography, said the rules as currently drafted would cement the dominance of MindGeek over the industry, whose output mostly consists of pornography “made by men for men”. |
| “This will only get worse as MindGeek continue to infiltrate the market, and smaller, independent sites are forced to close if they cannot afford age verification software,” she said. | “This will only get worse as MindGeek continue to infiltrate the market, and smaller, independent sites are forced to close if they cannot afford age verification software,” she said. |
| This article contains affiliate links, which means we may earn a small commission if a reader clicks through and makes a purchase. All our journalism is independent and is in no way influenced by any advertiser or commercial initiative. The links are powered by Skimlinks. By clicking on an affiliate link, you accept that Skimlinks cookies will be set. More information. | This article contains affiliate links, which means we may earn a small commission if a reader clicks through and makes a purchase. All our journalism is independent and is in no way influenced by any advertiser or commercial initiative. The links are powered by Skimlinks. By clicking on an affiliate link, you accept that Skimlinks cookies will be set. More information. |
| Internet | Internet |
| Pornography | Pornography |
| Thinktanks | Thinktanks |
| news | news |
| Share on Facebook | Share on Facebook |
| Share on Twitter | Share on Twitter |
| Share via Email | Share via Email |
| Share on LinkedIn | Share on LinkedIn |
| Share on Pinterest | Share on Pinterest |
| Share on Google+ | Share on Google+ |
| Share on WhatsApp | Share on WhatsApp |
| Share on Messenger | Share on Messenger |
| Reuse this content | Reuse this content |