The UK’s new age-gating rules are easy to bypass • Hacker News Board

Re: The UK’s new age-gating rules are easy to bypass

#101

Post by OJFord » Sat, Jul 26, 2025, 3:34 PM UTC

AnthonyMouse wrote: post #56

Xelbair wrote: post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Now make sure that only someone over 18 can generate token, and that token cannot be given to 3rd party for reuse.

The first problem is easy: Write the token on the back of your ID when the government issues it to someone over 18. The second problem is universally intractable. If you have the cooperation of someone over 18, the service will let you in and has no way of knowing that the person using it is a different person.

> The first problem is easy: Write the token on the back of your ID when the government issues it to someone over 18.

Now realise the UK doesn't have a government issued national ID. Not to mention if it did this would mean everyone re-requesting it on their 18th birthday...

Re: The UK’s new age-gating rules are easy to bypass

#102

Post by vidarh » Sat, Jul 26, 2025, 3:34 PM UTC

TacticalCoder wrote: post #11

SXX wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They know what they doing exactly. But they now have a reason to require age and ID checks to buy VPN. Then ban payments to VPNs that don't follow said regulation. You'll see.

> They know what they doing exactly. They're already using the "online safety act" to silence people online. They're super scared because a great many people have had enough. Crimes numbers, including rapes, are through the roof in the UK. And they want to silence anyone who wants to talk about criminality on the ultra rise. The UK is on a very dark path. It's the country in the world with the most millionaires fleei…

> Crimes numbers, including rapes, are through the roof in the UK

This is far-right propaganda.

https://www.macrotrends.net/global-metrics/countries/gbr/uni...

Re: The UK’s new age-gating rules are easy to bypass

#103

Post by Yeul » Sat, Jul 26, 2025, 3:36 PM UTC

Jigsy wrote: post #96

What saddens me about the UK geoblock notices is not a single one of them refers to the UK as Airstrip One.

IIRC the regime in 1984 produced porn for the proles. They had more sense than these middle class pricks from Somerset.

Re: The UK’s new age-gating rules are easy to bypass

#104

Post by piker » Sat, Jul 26, 2025, 3:40 PM UTC

Quarrel wrote: post #41

pr337h4m wrote: post #19

The most disturbing thing about this saga is that websites that have no physical/legal/business presence in the UK are proactively geoblocking UK-origin IPs. Censorious governments have always been a thing since the beginning of the internet. Websites (especially non-corporate ones like 4chan or R34) preemptively surrendering to a foreign government that has no jurisdiction over them is what's new.

> surrendering to a foreign government that has no jurisdiction over them is what's new Many countries, including the US, claim jurisdiction if you are providing services to their citizens. Some claim jurisdiction if someone in that country sees your web page (ie you've now "published" it there). You've been blissfully unaware, perhaps, but this has been a thing for a long time. You have probably seen sites having se…

Classic case of Wolfenstein 3d being banned in Germany in the 90s rings a bell.

Re: The UK’s new age-gating rules are easy to bypass

#105

Post by Yeul » Sat, Jul 26, 2025, 3:41 PM UTC

Aeolun wrote: post #29

Is this hysteria about sex a new thing? I feel like I grew up in an age where it was pretty normal to see these things as soon as you were old enough to be interested in them.

Can't solve poverty, drug use, grooming gangs or knife crime.

Re: The UK’s new age-gating rules are easy to bypass

#106

Post by OJFord » Sat, Jul 26, 2025, 3:41 PM UTC

cdrini wrote: post #88

zarzavat wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I had a debit card when I was 11 years old.

I didn't have a debit card until I went to university :P I _think_ having a card at 11 is rare, but not sure. Also maybe gen z/etc are getting cards earlier? Also not sure if parents who do get their kids cards at a young age aren't also checking their statements. Not sure if there's any data on this.

Wasn't particularly rare when I was in middle school and would've been odd not to in secondary. Bet it's only more common now.

There's also non-bank pre-pay cash cards such as Henry I think one's called, so parent loads it up with pocket money or whatever and I think gets more control/oversight than actual banks probably offer even on dedicated children's accounts.

Re: The UK’s new age-gating rules are easy to bypass

#107

Post by vidarh » Sat, Jul 26, 2025, 3:42 PM UTC

cdrini wrote: post #87

JetSetIlly wrote: post #48

According to the article, Ofcom are encouraging "parents to block or control VPN usage by their children to keep them from dodging the age checkers." This might be stupidest advice I've ever heard. If parents aren't willing to block or control access to porn sites, there's even less chance of them blocking or controlling VPN usage. But if nothing else, it does show up this law for the nonsense that it is.

Controlling VPN seems much easier, no? Since you have to pay for a VPN service, and I imagine most kids don't have a credit card to make arbitrary purchases independently, so it would have to bubble up to a parent.

The fact that you think you need to pay for a VPN service is a good illustration of the problem with this.

There's a plethora of free VPN services operating outside the reach of UK authorities.

My sons friend circle all figured out how to use free VPN's at around 8-9 to bypass bans on gaming servers.

Re: The UK’s new age-gating rules are easy to bypass

#108

Post by louthy » Sat, Jul 26, 2025, 3:42 PM UTC

vidarh wrote: post #102

TacticalCoder wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> They know what they doing exactly. They're already using the "online safety act" to silence people online. They're super scared because a great many people have had enough. Crimes numbers, including rapes, are through the roof in the UK. And they want to silence anyone who wants to talk about criminality on the ultra rise. The UK is on a very dark path. It's the country in the world with the most millionaires fleei…

> Crimes numbers, including rapes, are through the roof in the UK This is far-right propaganda. https://www.macrotrends.net/global-metrics/countries/gbr/uni...

Before anyone comments that the numbers are from 2020. I think the important point is the relative position of the UK to other countries (scroll down to the rankings table)

Crime is “generally down” in the past 10 years according to the ONS, so I wouldn’t expect the ranking to have changed much (in the subsequent 5 years).

Re: The UK’s new age-gating rules are easy to bypass

#109

Post by vidarh » Sat, Jul 26, 2025, 3:44 PM UTC

cdrini wrote: post #88

zarzavat wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I had a debit card when I was 11 years old.

I didn't have a debit card until I went to university :P I _think_ having a card at 11 is rare, but not sure. Also maybe gen z/etc are getting cards earlier? Also not sure if parents who do get their kids cards at a young age aren't also checking their statements. Not sure if there's any data on this.

In the UK, "GoHenry" is an app that is targeted at parents as a way to give your kids pocket money, and comes with a debit card option. Their target age range is 6-18.

Revolut also offers accounts from age 6.

Parents would get notifications, but I suspect most parents won't be technically inclined enough to have an issue with a well argued child pointing out they need that VPN to access a game server or region locked content that their parents don't object to.

That said, I'd suspect most kids looking to circumvent these blocks will just install a free VPN.

Re: The UK’s new age-gating rules are easy to bypass

#110

Post by vidarh » Sat, Jul 26, 2025, 3:51 PM UTC

louthy wrote: post #66

TacticalCoder wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> They know what they doing exactly. They're already using the "online safety act" to silence people online. They're super scared because a great many people have had enough. Crimes numbers, including rapes, are through the roof in the UK. And they want to silence anyone who wants to talk about criminality on the ultra rise. The UK is on a very dark path. It's the country in the world with the most millionaires fleei…

This is far right fear-mongering rhetoric. It’s the standard hatred of ethnic minorities whipped up by bigots. The UK is not on a “dark path”, that’s absolute nonsense. Nor do people live in fear. I assume you don’t actually live in the UK. Because none of your description is the UK I live in. > “People are scared of what's going on. Both criminality and religious extremism are rising at a more than alarming rate.” C…

> RE: the Rolex watch crime — I walk through East London with a Patek Philippe on my arm and have zero concerns, I’m not scared, nor do I live in fear.

If anything, having spent quite a bit of time walking through the only areas of East London recently that slightly unnerved me when I first moved to the UK in 2000, they're now mostly solidly gentrified...