Free porn fans in Britain are about to get carded.
Beginning early next month, X-rated sites like PornHub and YouPorn will be required to obtain birthday information from UK residents before they can view smut by using an online age verification system, or buying a special ID card, according to The Metro.
“When a user first visits a site protected by AgeID, a landing page will appear with a prompt for the user to verify their age before they can access the site,” AgeID spokesman James Clark told the outlet.
“Each website will create their own non-pornographic landing page for this purpose,” he added.
When users first visit a site, they will have to create an AgeID account using a credit card, passport or driver’s license.
They will then be able to use their username or password to access all porn sites that use the ID system – though some may use different age-verification systems.
“It is a one-time verification, with a simple single sign-on for future access. If a user verifies on one AgeID protected site, they will not need to perform this verification again on any other site carrying AgeID,” Clark said.
Another option is to buy a special ID card or voucher from a retail outlet, he added.
Using this method, a user does not need to register an email address, and can simply enter the particular site using an app called Portes.
The ban on underage users was approved last year as part of the Digital Economy Act.
Clark insisted that porn sites will not store and leak sensitive information about their customers.
“When a user registers an AgeID account using an email address and password, both are protected by a salted, one-way hash. This means that at no point does AgeID have a database of email addresses,” he said.
“AgeID does not know the identity or date of birth of its users, all it knows is whether a hashed account is over 18 or not.”