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Pornhub prepares to block five more states rather than check IDs

arstechnica.com

41–50 of 121 posts

Re: Pornhub prepares to block five more states rather than check IDs

#41
post #2

[flagged]

I literally cannot remember the last time I had to show proof of age to buy tobacco or alcohol. I'm middle aged - mid 40s, in fact - and places don't ask. If I order alcohol, the reason I'm showing ID is to prove that yes, it was me that ordered it instead of someone else (and I'm showing my ID at the liquor store). I've only bought porn twice - once a video and once a magazine full of naked men. I didn't get carded…

I'm middle aged - mid 40s, in fact - and places don't ask.

Your appearance is the age verification. One can obviously tell you are of age to buy the products in question by looking at you. That’s the age verification.

Communities are permitted to determine what constitutes age appropriate materials and at what age those materials can be consumed. Such standards ought to apply to web content too. There is nothing special about online that indicates it should be exempt.

Re: Pornhub prepares to block five more states rather than check IDs

#42
post #5

Is there a way to prove your age without being identified/logging in? Surely some kind of OpenID style protocol can be invented for this with zero knowledge of personal information ending up with pornhub or which sites were being given age verification?

I think German id cards already support a zero-knowledge proof of age.

Also via the EU "Digital Identity Wallet" as a mobile app when it's ready https://github.com/eu-digital-identity-wallet/eudi-doc-archi...

The problem will probably be adoption by services. It's a lot more tempting to get more information than just age, if you go through the hassle in the first place.

Re: Pornhub prepares to block five more states rather than check IDs

#43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

…on Pornhub? Why does it matter?

I suspect they’re saying elsewhere on the internet. Matters for obvious reasons.

Yup, I left out a key “in addition”, thanks for clarifying for me!

Expanding on this… we should all be jealous of Estonia’s digital governmental infrastructure!

Re: Pornhub prepares to block five more states rather than check IDs

#44
post #2

[flagged]

They're not saying age verification is wrong, but dozens of skeezy sites taking in personally identifiable information who should have no business in taking in personally identifiable information is a bad idea. Pornhub advocate for devices to do authentication of ID (i.e. Apple has FaceID and a bunch of stuff for reading IDs already as part of their digital ID initiative) and then attesting the user is of age. This c…

Sure, that’s reasonable. Let’s implement this. In fact Pornhub could have implemented this on its own and staved off the “need” for a government imposed solution. It knew there was a problem and did nothing.

Re: Pornhub prepares to block five more states rather than check IDs

#46
post #5

Is there a way to prove your age without being identified/logging in? Surely some kind of OpenID style protocol can be invented for this with zero knowledge of personal information ending up with pornhub or which sites were being given age verification?

Whether that solves it just depends on who you're worried about having your data. Something like OpenID would keep your identifying data away from PornHub but it would allow the OpenID provider know when you visit PornHub. For PornHub that also gives other companies, the OpenID providers, the power to censor PornHub but refusing to verify age or identity.

I dare say this would actually be even more harmful than Pornhub holding people's IDs, as it would then give OpenID immense power to track not only the fact that you watch porn, but also what other services you use as well...

Re: Pornhub prepares to block five more states rather than check IDs

#47
post #5

Is there a way to prove your age without being identified/logging in? Surely some kind of OpenID style protocol can be invented for this with zero knowledge of personal information ending up with pornhub or which sites were being given age verification?

Someone would have to gather that data. It's not like a password that can be detached from physical reality. Your date of birth is somewhat inherent to your identity.

The federal government could offer it as a service, just like they do in the physical world with physical IDs.

Re: Pornhub prepares to block five more states rather than check IDs

#48
post #5

Is there a way to prove your age without being identified/logging in? Surely some kind of OpenID style protocol can be invented for this with zero knowledge of personal information ending up with pornhub or which sites were being given age verification?

No, this is not possible.

Even if every state started putting contactless chips into drivers licenses to provide anonymous age attestation, you'd still have the problem a kid can just use a parent's or older sibling's card.

And even if such cards did exist and they were considered legally adequate, you've still got the problem that nothing except smartphones can read them. And you've got the problem browsers don't support them, and app stores don't welcome porn-viewing apps.

Of course, this is all intentional - the religious anti-pornography groups that push for these laws consider it a good thing that complying with the law is essentially impossible. They want a full ban on pornography, but that would get struck down as unconstitutional, so they have to get a ban by indirect means.

Re: Pornhub prepares to block five more states rather than check IDs

#49
Why not allow liquor stores and other establishments that check IDs anyway issue a digital certificate that you are of age? Here's my ID, here's my pornhub account name, here's a service fee, digitally attest to the fact that I proved that I'm of legal age.

Seems like the real motive here is deanonymization.

Re: Pornhub prepares to block five more states rather than check IDs

#50
post #5

Is there a way to prove your age without being identified/logging in? Surely some kind of OpenID style protocol can be invented for this with zero knowledge of personal information ending up with pornhub or which sites were being given age verification?

In the US, DMVs could issue IDs with Common Access Card support, a cheap and widely available digital system used by the DoD. Wouldn’t it be nice if we knew we were interacting with a real person and not a chat bot?

Do y’all not get how this would just be based on certificate authorities and would be privacy friendly?
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