Queen's speech includes porn age verification in the UK.

[RebeccaT]

The inclusion of this intention makes it pretty much confirmed. I have no problem with this as it goes some way to halting under age viewers...of course there are ways round it but it's a start and a deterrent to some.

As sites such as MFC and CB allow full shows in free public chat they will, in time be blocked by UK ISPs. I don't suppose those sites will give two hoots about lost revenue...it will be a drop in their vast ocean and determined viewers will always find a way to watch.

Beats me why all sites can't simply comply and enforce.

 

[DFT]

What came of the 2013 internet filtering plan? Heard both sides, but not the outcome.

 

[AerynShade]

I think every clip site except NiteFlirt also allows nudity in previews so I guess those sites will probably be banned too. I feel bad for UK-based models. You'll be limited to so few sites to work on.
Guess it's good I'm not moving to the UK like I'd hoped.

 

[RebeccaT]

With sites like MFC you could leave yourself open to a fine as models agree not to do free public shows...this covers them and moves the blame. The law regarding under age viewers is the same worldwide but the UK is intending to enforce it. I really wish ALL sites would do the same, then we could work any site we choose.

Ideally, every viewer should have to pay using a credit card to view anything adult (anything you wouldn't see on Page Three of The Sun) and then the provider has done all they can to ensure compliance. You won't held responsible for a minor using a parent's card. But in the battle for traffic I think the sites have allowed too much.

It's easy to tease, titillate, arouse etc within the boundaries. If they want more, make them pay!

 

[RebeccaT]

What came of the 2013 internet filtering plan? Heard both sides, but not the outcome.

New sign ups had porn blocked by default but it's easy to change the filters.

I think every clip site except NiteFlirt also allows nudity in previews so I guess those sites will probably be banned too. I feel bad for UK-based models. You'll be limited to so few sites to work on.
Guess it's good I'm not moving to the UK like I'd hoped.

Nudity is fine...The Sun Page Three rule is a good bench mark to use.

 

[LydiaFrost]

But wouldn't that mean every adult website? Even streamate or other clipsites allow nudity in guestchat, you don't need an account for that.

Germany has a similar law, websites based in Germany are not allowed to have pictures that have nudity or implied sexual stuff or explicit descriptions, they have to either only show those between 11pm and 5am or smething like that or force users to have a creditcard on file.
I am curious on how the uk law will enforce it, Germany's law only enforces it for websites based in Germany, not international websites,
blocking websites from being viewed is a whole other level of enforcing that though imo.
That would not only affect uk based camgirls/performers but also customers from purchasing our services.

But then again, the uk already did a great job in hurting uk based indie porn producers with other laws.

 

[RebeccaT]

The problem for UK viewers and broadcasters is that sites which repeatedly do not enforce age verification will be blocked by UK ISPs. This is not the fault of the law, it's the fault of the transgressor of that law., ruining it for everyone.

 

[AerynShade]

Let me rephrase, nearly every clip site allows you to put whatever hardcore graphic sex act you want in your previews (again except NiteFlirt).

Or...people could just parent their own children.

This will most likely result in a HUGE increase in torrented/shared videos. Which also don't require age verification, and are hard to block.

 

[RebeccaT]

I'd like to see all sites comply. We all complain about freeloaders and this would go a long way to excluding them.

 

[JickyJuly]

I feel like having an age warning to click through should be enough for sites like MFC. If a kid has time to read it and is old enough to understand where to click to get through to see tits and asses, their parents should be blocking things at home. A kid who intends to lie to see porn while unsupervised is the same kid who can just as easily swipe their parents credit card. A credit card is not fool proof age verification either.

 

[AerynShade]

I feel like having an age warning to click through should be enough for sites like MFC. If a kid has time to read it and is old enough to understand where to click to get through to see tits and asses, their parents should be blocking things at home. A kid who intends to lie to see porn while unsupervised is the same kid who can just as easily swipe their parents credit card. A credit card is not fool proof age verification either.

My nephew, when he was 16, accidentally broke his computer. He didn't want to tell his mom so he put cash on one of those prepaid debit cards from Walgreens and bought himself a new one on Amazon. (The jig was up when it arrived in the mail though...) He could just have easily used it for porn site age verification and general porn-buying.

 

[RebeccaT]

My nephew, when he was 16, accidentally broke his computer. He didn't want to tell his mom so he put cash on one of those prepaid debit cards from Walgreens and bought himself a new one on Amazon. (The jig was up when it arrived in the mail though...) He could just have easily used it for porn site age verification and general porn-buying.

A pre-paid debit card isn't accepted. It has to be a credit card.

It will be interesting to see if it makes any difference at all. I'm happy to wager we won't notice any actual change.

 

[fandango]

If they start blocking all internationally based porn sites all it will do is cause a spike in VPN sales.

I really think the government has much bigger problems to deal with then this.

 

[Fatquack]

Aside from the fact that you can get a creditcard while under 18 (if your parents sign for it) a majority of Europeans have no creditcard, so what are you going to use as age verification?
There is a reason why there are so many non creditcard payment options on for instance MFC, they do not want to lose all those customers.
If adult companies have to chose between losing just the UK customers or all non creditcard customers the choice will be easy.
Even if you agree with age verification (personally I think it's a parents job to check what their kids watch online) the technical implementation is far from easy.
This will mostly hurt UK companies and UK based models.

 

[RebeccaT]

What grates the most is that if MFC, for example, enforced the rules, MFC would not be blocked.
This applies to ALL sites.

Perhaps other countries will follow suit as the age restriction law is common globally. Gosh, just imagine!

As for age verification? Meh. But oh for people to HAVE to pay? Yes to that

 

[TacoBelle]

MFC has the popup requiring them to acknowledge that you must be over 18. What kind of 'age verification' are you hoping all these sites will employ? I can't imagine any member wanting to see tits and ass badly enough to send a picture of their ID/passport just to view a site. Hell, most of them won't even do that if they've been using a site for years and need to. They just don't trust "THE INTERNET." So if they do make there be some intensive age-verification, we would all lose out on a LOT of money and viewers.

 

[Lintilla]

Why should MFC change to comply with more restrictive laws of countries other than the United States where they are based? Should they make girls keep clothes on at ALL times (or shut down altogether) because pornography is illegal in some countries? I understand how this kind of thing is harmful to those in countries who implement such measures, but my problem is 100% with those laws and NOT with the sites that are operating legally in their own country or with the girls who broadcast there. I would absolutely be against American sites giving in to that kind of control. I wouldn't necessarily blame them, but I'd be disappointed.

 

[JoleneBrody]

MFC has the popup requiring them to acknowledge that you must be over 18. What kind of 'age verification' are you hoping all these sites will employ? I can't imagine any member wanting to see tits and ass badly enough to send a picture of their ID/passport just to view a site. Hell, most of them won't even do that if they've been using a site for years and need to. They just don't trust "THE INTERNET." So if they do make there be some intensive age-verification, we would all lose out on a LOT of money and viewers.

Once the lil' age verification popup was enacted the rule banning sexual acts in public chat was removed as well. Sexually explicit acts in public chat have not been against the rules for quite some time now.

@Lintilla seconding thirding and fouthing. MFC is a U.S site, not a UK site... making a MASSIVE change that would drastically decrease traffic and revenue on a global scale to give into the censorship (not very american ideals) laws (beyond their existing measures) of another country wouldn't make any sense.

 

[AmberCutie]

What grates the most is that if MFC, for example, enforced the rules, MFC would not be blocked.

Which rule(s) are you referring to?

 

[PerriMynx]

Which rule(s) are you referring to?

I believe she's referring to the rules that apparently are technically worldwide about trying to prevent underage kids from accessing adult content. What I've gotten so far is that there are rules in place worldwide that essentially the websites are supposed to have more than just a little pop up or something to prevent minors from accessing the site. If the sites don't do this, they'll be blocked by the UK, which is now going to enforce said rules.

As far as I know, at least in the US, the little pop up does act as the legally defensible deterrent for the site, though (granted it may not be the same in the UK)? If you click on that "I am 18" button when you're not then it's still viewed as the site trying to prevent minors, I believe. Because technically hitting the "I am 18" button when underage is actually a violation of....something, I think. Misrepresentation of age? I don't know, it's a lot of legalese that isn't usually invoked, but I do know that just that button typically takes the weight off the sites.

 

[JickyJuly]

Whenever this blah blah blah free shows hurt people conversation happens, I feel like it's almost always fueled by sour grapes whether it's a model who wanted to do amazingly well on MFC and (like most of us) did not or a member who really just wants the meat market sites and can't let MFC exist without complaining.

 

[fandango]

According to the BBC news website although mentioned in the bill it is also still at the draft stage and no details are given about how they would enforce any verifications. The UK courts have already forced UK ISPs to block a whole load of torrent and other copyright infringing sites so its not too much of a leap to believe they could start blocking more sites they decide they disagree with.

If they do decide that the popup is enough verification then it will be totally ineffective. If a kid can read and work a computer/tablet/phone well enough to find a pornsite then I don't think clicking one extra button to say you're over 18 is going to stop even a single person.

 

[mynameisbob84]

Which rule(s) are you referring to?

If the UK law passes, we would have to enter our credit card details just to access any site deemed "adult" in nature (so a site like this one, for instance). Any site that doesn't have such a verification procedure in place would be filtered out completely by UK IP's. It's every bit as absurd and unreasonable as it sounds and boils down to little more than hysterical censorship borne of ignorance and fuelled by political fear-mongering.

 

[PerriMynx]

I don't think the sites care about whether or not the deterrent is effective, not is it really the point. Kids already do it The sites just care about it being enough to legally protect themselves without losing traffic.

 

[AmberCutie]

If the UK law passes, we would have to enter our credit card details just to access any site deemed "adult" in nature (so a site like this one, for instance). Any site that doesn't have such a verification procedure in place would be filtered out completely by UK IP's. It's every bit as absurd and unreasonable as it sounds and boils down to little more than hysterical censorship borne of ignorance and fuelled by political fear-mongering.

I understand that, but I was getting the feeling that Rebecca was suggesting that MFC is not enforcing some rule about models being naked/masturbating in public chat. Which isn't actually a rule there now. So I was looking for clarification on what "MFC rules" she was talking about.

 

[mynameisbob84]

I understand that, but I was getting the feeling that Rebecca was suggesting that MFC is not enforcing some rule about models being naked/masturbating in public chat. Which isn't actually a rule there now. So I was looking for clarification on what "MFC rules" she was talking about.

Gotcha. In that case, I don't know.

 

[PerriMynx]

If the UK law passes, we would have to enter our credit card details just to access any site deemed "adult" in nature (so a site like this one, for instance). Any site that doesn't have such a verification procedure in place would be filtered out completely by UK IP's. It's every bit as absurd and unreasonable as it sounds and boils down to little more than hysterical censorship borne of ignorance and fuelled by political fear-mongering.

So, if I'm understanding correctly, you would have to have a credit card on file for even just an "adult" forum site? Or something like Fetlife for instance? I was thinking it just applied to adult sites that you typically spend money on anyway. If it applies to sites that aren't even actually selling content then holy crap.

 

[mynameisbob84]

So, if I'm understanding correctly, you would have to have a credit card on file for even just an "adult" forum site? Or something like Fetlife for instance? I was thinking it just applied to adult sites that you typically spend money on anyway. If it applies to sites that aren't even actually selling content then holy crap.

I could be wrong, but my understanding of the law (if it's ever passed) is that anything that could be classified as being for 18+ year olds (so any site that would call for an "adults only" pop up) would be eligible.

 

[RebeccaT]

I understand that, but I was getting the feeling that Rebecca was suggesting that MFC is not enforcing some rule about models being naked/masturbating in public chat. Which isn't actually a rule there now. So I was looking for clarification on what "MFC rules" she was talking about.

You're right, that was the rule I was referring to but I had forgotten MFC had dropped this restriction. So that's one site which, if the bill is passed (and it's a long way off that yet) will be blocked in the UK. Sites such as Adultwork, which is very UK-centric and has always banned non-private shows will be fine.

It has all been discussed before but now it will be scheduled for time in parliament. It's not a ban on porn. It's a way to enforce of an existing law.

EDIT TO ADD: I doubt very much it will change things. One site owner I have spoken with is perfectly confident his team will find ways round it.

 

[RebeccaT]

One other thing...I love MFC. I have no sour grapes about free shows, they do not effect my income at all. But now, the way the site operates may do so. This new UK rule has been coming for a long, long time and with that in mind I have slowly moved towards independent camming.

Also, I am merely the messenger...please don't shoot me!