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UK plans age verification for porn websites from 2018

bbc.co.uk

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Re: UK plans age verification for porn websites from 2018

#91

I would like to present to the court exhibit 1: The EU/ or UK "Cookie Laws" AKA "ePrivacy directive." In the months before and after its implementation there was a lot of discussion around the (vast) grey areas in the laws. After some months, the internet has coalesced on answers. All sites need to implement a nag screen for unknown users, in order to get "informed consent". This consent will be stored as a cookie an…

I've never heard a peep from anyone about the site I admin which still doesn't have one of those cookie-naggers. Hopefully, when the UK leaves the EU, the one good thing that might come out of it will be getting rid of that silly legislation.

It would have been better if more had been required.

"As you browse this site, a record of everywhere you click is sent to the following companies: Google, Facebook, MysteryAdNetwork. These companies use this information to sell targetted advertising. We use the data to inform improvements to the site."

Re: UK plans age verification for porn websites from 2018

#92

I understand this is unpopular on HN and I don't think this is the right approach either but what is the solution? Or do you think there's no problem at all? I think it is a potential problem where some young people don't realize that some fairly disgusting and extreme sex acts are not the norm and start dating thinking that is what you do instead of loving someone, that would cause them serious issues in developing…

Parents can buy internet filtering software such as Net Nanny and install it on all the family computers. That does leave open the possibility that some children would be exposed to "extreme sex acts", and this would probably disproportionately affect the poor. The government providing free voluntary filtering software would probably irk people less than the government policing morals.

> The government providing free voluntary filtering software would probably irk people less than the government policing morals.

This already exists, really. With the major providers, you get asked if you want filters turned on or off.

Re: UK plans age verification for porn websites from 2018

#93

I would like to present to the court exhibit 1: The EU/ or UK "Cookie Laws" AKA "ePrivacy directive." In the months before and after its implementation there was a lot of discussion around the (vast) grey areas in the laws. After some months, the internet has coalesced on answers. All sites need to implement a nag screen for unknown users, in order to get "informed consent". This consent will be stored as a cookie an…

I've never heard a peep from anyone about the site I admin which still doesn't have one of those cookie-naggers. Hopefully, when the UK leaves the EU, the one good thing that might come out of it will be getting rid of that silly legislation.

If you're getting this kind of idiotic legislation in return, the net result does not appear positive.

Re: UK plans age verification for porn websites from 2018

#94

I understand this is unpopular on HN and I don't think this is the right approach either but what is the solution? Or do you think there's no problem at all? I think it is a potential problem where some young people don't realize that some fairly disgusting and extreme sex acts are not the norm and start dating thinking that is what you do instead of loving someone, that would cause them serious issues in developing…

... some young people don't realize that some fairly disgusting and extreme sex acts are not the norm and start dating thinking that is what you do instead of loving someone, that would cause them serious issues in developing relationships."

To be fair, without porn lots of folks wouldn't know what was normal anyway - so it is easy to talk folks into something. All it takes is the more persuasive person to have these things in mind (and obviously folks do, considering this sort of porn isn't new to the internet). The same problem happens when discussing abusive relationships. Young folks don't know what normal and healthy contains.

The big thing that is missing in the US is comprehensive sex and relationship education. I don't see a problem with teaching kids about film making so they can understand that a porn shoot is set up to look good for the camera or be other-worldly. I don't see a problem telling young folks they can try some of the stuff out, with the caveat of respecting everyone's health and comfort while doing it. I don't mind telling folks it is OK to be into - or not into - something.

And to be fair, I'm not sure most folks do this stuff instead of loving someone, rather as part of the course of loving someone. I'm pretty sure my sex life with my spouse mirrors average porn more closely than the whole "making love" thing.

Re: UK plans age verification for porn websites from 2018

#95

I understand this is unpopular on HN and I don't think this is the right approach either but what is the solution? Or do you think there's no problem at all? I think it is a potential problem where some young people don't realize that some fairly disgusting and extreme sex acts are not the norm and start dating thinking that is what you do instead of loving someone, that would cause them serious issues in developing…

I hate this attitude you have towards "some young people". Are we supposed to assume that you have sufficiently grown up just because you make this comment? If not, you dont have any right to judge others. Now coming back to your question, if both consenting adults think that "some fairly disgusting .... acts" are the norm, when who are you to say other wise. In case one of the adults doesnt thinks so, they can move out of the relationship. If the society forces them somehow to stay together inspite of one of them wanting to move out, then you have arrived at a problem that you can try to solve.

Re: UK plans age verification for porn websites from 2018

#96
post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Likely this will be implemented at the ISP level, I expect 99.99 of the sites would not care otherwise.

You still cannot effectively block every adult site even at an ISP level. There will always be smaller sites on the fringe that get missed. It's basically the same problem as preventing online piracy.

And honestly - I suspect this will have the bigger effect of encouraging actual porn piracy instead of porn streaming. Wonderful way to re-introduce the popularity of a porn collection.

Re: UK plans age verification for porn websites from 2018

#97

This sounds like yet another solution that can be easily bypassed by the typical technically proficient teenager with raging hormones. I recently read an article about how easy access to an almost unlimited amount of pornography is giving boys unrealistic sexual expectations and placing unreasonable demands on girls. I can't find the link to the article right now but from this and several others that I've read, this…

There's a website and community dedicated to that problem, [1], and they cite numerous articles of the kind you mentioned. Quoting:

> To date every study offers support for the porn addiction model (no studies falsify the porn addiction model). The results of these 34 neurological studies (and upcoming studies) are consistent with 220+ Internet addiction "brain studies", many of which also include internet porn use. All support the premise that internet porn use can cause addiction-related brain changes

[1] http://www.yourbrainonporn.com

Re: UK plans age verification for porn websites from 2018

#98
post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well, that will depend on how exactly the way the customers "will have to prove they are 18", as an example we know how no teenager under 18 would ever tick a box near "Yes, I am 18 or older". On the other hand needing to provide a photo or scanned image of your driving license or passport AND give access to the web camera to the site to verify your identity, while reasonably effective might somehow produce as a side…

It will be trivial for any horny teenager to circumvent it with a proxy.

They would be much more likely to use torrents, most people don't even know what a proxy is.

Re: UK plans age verification for porn websites from 2018

#99

I'm expecting that the agency set up to police this will eventually be enforcing a policy of only allowing internet access to users who have a government assigned unique ID which will be tied to your entire online activity. first they justify it for porn, then for terrorism

The plan is for the BBFC to police it, which is ridiculous.

Re: UK plans age verification for porn websites from 2018

#100

Earlier quoted context omitted.

yeah but that bit is cool cause the publicly funded BBC outputs good content with zero ads.

Australia has ad free tv too, and radio stations and all the same kinds of initiatives as the BBC (admittedly the tv is terrible by comparison to the BBC so) called the ABC. there are no TV licenses in Australia though.. its just included in your tax which is how it should be here in the UK. Paying people to police the TV license is absolutely retarded

The ABC is waaaaaaaaaaaaaay underfunded compared to the BBC. And conservative governments hate it and throttle it wherever they can. Despite being shown time and time again to be even-handed by both internal and external reviews, the conservatives treat it as a mouthpiece of the progressives.
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