Summary
Under the UK’s Online Safety Act, all websites hosting pornography, including social media platforms, must implement “robust” age verification methods, such as photo ID or credit card checks, for UK users by July.
Regulator Ofcom claims this is to prevent children from accessing explicit content, as research shows many are exposed as young as nine.
Critics, including privacy groups and porn sites, warn the measures could drive users to less-regulated parts of the internet, raising safety and privacy concerns.
No, they are the morals of all people who try to take away freedoms from others, for example parents who prefer an open discussion with their children, or people who might risk a lot by their preferences becoming public in a data leak - like the whole of the LGBT-spectrum in the USA, Russia, large areas of Africa and the UK too (since gender-affirming care is getting wrecked there too) for example. Even if it weren’t that parts of the public were endangered, the underlying tools and mechanisms are easily abused as censoring mechansisms - slap a “that’s against our morals”-sticker on it and let it disappear.
All my traffic is running over a VPN, because i don’t like getting tracked. But regulations like this go beyond what affects me (it really doesn’t - i couldn’t tell you when i last watched porn if i wanted to). A prime example would be reproductive health; sites that explain a teenager stuff that he wouldn’t ask his parents or a teacher might easily be labels as pornographic by puritans (the parents you wish that spoke up more might not, but i can guarantee you that those types will speak up first and loudest when they get the chance). You are also taking away that from every teenager in the country, especially those less privileged and with zealots as parents.
Even worse: The clearweb porn sites today are pretty sanitized, so there won’t be anything really illegal on it. If they get their fingers on the stuff on the dark web by installing TOR, then they might be exposed to far more dangerous, illegal and traumatizing content and real life dangers than the average porn clip.
The barrier for entry can also be set by parents, if they are worth a fuck. put parental locks on their devices, thats the only thing you can realistically control anyways. No need for messy databases which will leak, no need for creating a precedent for censoring the web. Limiting advertising for whatever is easy in comparison and the mechanisms are already in place (and active - i don’t think that hardcore porn gets many ad slots at prime time tv).
Stealing and hurting infringes on the freedom of others, watching porn doesn’t. My ID isn’t required for buying alcohol because i don’t get confused with a 16 year old anymore.(you can add 3-4 decades on that) You still get asked even being a parent of a child? Must be quite the genes you have there.
Sorry for assuming your parenting habits. You spoke like one of those zealots i spoke above. If you aren’t one and you simply didn’t realize the dangers of legislation like this when enacted, i hope that you i gave you food for thought.