[NEWS] UK age checks for online porn delayed after bureaucratic cock-up – Loganspace

The UK government has delayed the introduction of wanted age verification for gaining access to online pornography — blaming an administrative cock-up.

Thecontroversial plothad been attributable to begin on July 15, after an earlier implementation date furthermore came and went. Though on this occasion it doesn’t seem the coverage has been derailed by the technical challenges around online age verification.

Giving an announcement in the Dwelling of Commons this morning, digital ministerJeremy Wrightsaid the government failed to divulge theEuropean Rateof age verification standards it expects companies to satisfy — constant with EU regulation.

Now not having finished so formulation it will’t legally introduce the coverage at this stage.

“It has advance to my consideration in modern days that an implementation direction of used to be now not undertaken for a section of this coverage and I remorse to enlighten this would perhaps perchance perchance prolong the commencement date,” he urged parliament — adding that the error is anticipated to end result in a prolong “in pickle of six months”.

Apologising for the prolong, Wright emphasized that government remains committed to the coverage.

“Right here is now not a alternate of coverage or a lessening of this government’s decision for these adjustments to advance attend about,” he said.

“Many [people] receive campaigned passionately for age verification to advance attend into pressure as right now as that probabilities are you’ll perchance perchance perchance imagine to guarantee that that young folk are safe from seeing pornography they shouldn’t — I apologise to them all that these measures is now not going to be brought in as right now as they and I will like.”

“Within the in the intervening time there could be nothing to quit to blame suppliers of online pornography from implementing age verification mechanisms on a voluntary basis,” he added. “I’m hoping and ask that many will compose so.”

Within the statement on age verification, Wright furthermore referenced other coverage measures the government has in educate which he said will abet give protection to young folk from seeing horrible announce material online — comparable to the Online Harms white paper, printed inApril.

He said a draft code of educate on child online safety will be printed sooner than the brand new regulatory framework coming in — “to enviornment clear standards” for online child safety.

He furthermore important that the technical narrate of apt online age verification had been raised at some stage in the consultation on the white paper — and said he has commissioned new guidance that will be printed in the tumble “in regards to the advise of technology to guarantee that that young folk are safe from horrible announce material online”.

As we reported in March, tech companies including Snap were collaborating beneath NDA in a government working community on age verification.

Wright said the government would put up a response to the consultation by the pause of the twelve months. And that laws could perchance perchance perchance be launched as right now as parliament time allowed after that.

“The new regulatory framework for online harms announced in the white paper will be launched as right now as that probabilities are you’ll perchance perchance perchance imagine because this would perhaps perchance perchance invent a important distinction to trip taken by companies to procure young folk safe online,” he said.

“Age verification for online pornography needs to happen, and I fill it’s the clear will of the apartment and folk we sigh that it’s a ways going to, and in the clear interests of our kids that it must.”