this post was submitted on 27 Jun 2025
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So it’s a scale problem for you? What number is acceptable?
No, it’s not just a scale problem, but to even suggest that kids looking at graphic violence videos on YouTube etc is as prevalent as or as big of an issue as kids looking at porn is absurd. There are studies galore linking the consumption of porn in children to all sorts of behavioural issue, and studies showing that it’s increasing dramatically.
I have nothing against porn, I don’t think it should be censored or banned or anything - but age restrictions done properly (ie securely and privately) are long overdue.
And before you say it - yes, I think the same should apply to other not-suitable-for-kids content like extreme violence, vulgarity, etc. The difference is that all the streaming sites and other content hostels already have age verification. You can’t just click “yes I’m over 18” and watch R18+ or X rated content.
This does not exist.
It is claimed to exist, but you can’t name a single technology that guarantees security and privacy from the user to the source of the verification.
Are you willing to trust pornhub with your personal information? Xhamster? Kink.com? Motherless? Draft porn? PervertTube? And on, and on, and on.
You trust that every, single, individual, porn site is going to have both the know how, and scruples, to keep this data 100% secure and private?
Because I don’t even trust that a site can keep my credit card information private and secure, as has been shown to be a good bet over and over again despite there being a plethora of laws on how to handle such information.
It doesn’t exist, but that is what some are suggesting and hoping is going to be made with these laws being passed. It would be a really good thing for the internet and websites/apps as a whole tbh if a system like this is made, and it’s not like it would be difficult.
The sites wouldnt need your information, they would just verify that the person attempting to access the site is authenticated as being 18+.
How do you verify someone is 18 without your information?
By verifying with a central age verification system.
What has been thrown around, and what should hopefully be the solution, is that a government agency (as a last resort) or a independent trusted authority makes a system where you create an account and verify your age with your documents with them. Then they have public APIs for sites to hit - you give the site a unique key (preferably you would generate individual keys that are tied to your account for every site) and all that site does is hit that API going “Is the person that this key belongs to 18+?”, and the response is yes or no.
Simple, secure, private. The site you’re accessing doesn’t know who you are and doesn’t get your details. The age verification site also doesn’t necessarily know the site you were using, and this should not be logged either.
Lmao. Yeah, the government is going to implement this? Assuming it is actually secure, when do you expect this to release? A decade from now?
Would be incredibly easy to make secure, as it wouldn’t even need to store the verification documents or anything personally identifiable once your account is set up.
I think if the government is actually serious about doing this they will need to do it, or outsource it to someone who will. I don’t actually think these laws will take effect in December.
This could even be done incredibly easily via myGov for example. It has everyone’s information including DOB. I could build an age verification API for that in a night with time for a good snooze.
Do you agree that it is possible without all of the porn sites getting your information now at least?
Theoretically possible? Sure. Though I don’t trust the US government with this information either.
Then there a completely different problem to be concerned with: https://chinamediaproject.org/2025/06/04/chinas-slow-march-toward-cyber-ids/
The government already has access to what sites you visit btw. They already know if you’re a big booty fan or a gagging kinda guy. They’ve got their fingers in every ISP
I think that a few independent secure age verification services will pop up soon enough. Wouldn’t surprise me if the parent company of pornhub or one of those sites makes it themselves. There’s huge money to be made in it.
Hell I might start asking around with my lawyer friends to see what would be required. Could knock it out in a weekend. The hardest part would be finding the consequences/legal issues of verifying based on fake documents.
And yes countries like the US, UK, and Australia are all fast approaching a digital id that will be used to access the internet. Australia will be the first. We’re basically the testing ground for authoritarian tracking and control laws, and our population are too dumb as a whole to understand what is going on. We’re already getting a Digital ID system soon, and our banks are going cashless. Currently whenever you try to take cash out of more than a few hundred bucks you get a free game of 20 questions and they will refuse to give you your own money if they don’t like your answers.
Less button clicks to just use a free online vpn