Age verification for Internet porn – or the ‘porn ban’ as it’s been dubbed – is going to be delayed, the Government has said.
The plans will mean that no one will be able to watch adult content online without prior age verification checks. It was announced in April the stricter controls would come into place on 15 July.
But Culture Secretary Jeremy Wright announced today that it will be delayed for an estimated six months.
Addressing members of Parliament Wright today, he said: “It has come to my attention in recent days that an important notification process was not undertaken for an element of this policy and I regret to say that this will delay the commencement date.
“I expect that this will result in a delay in the region of six months.
“I recognise that many members of this House and many people beyond it have campaigned passionately for age verification to come into force as soon as possible to ensure that children are protected from pornographic material they should not see.
“I apologise to them all for the fact that a mistake has been made that means that these measures will not be into force as soon as they and I would like.”
He also made it clear to politicians that despite the delay the government was still determined to introduce the new plans.
Adding: “Let me make it clear that although my statement is an apology for a delay, it is not a change of policy or a lessening of this government’s determination to bring these changes about.
“Age verification for online pornography needs to happen and I believe it is the clear will of the House and those we represent that it should, and in the clear interest of children that it must.”
When the new measures are introduced it will mean anyone who wants to look at adult content online will need to verify their age using a legitimate form of identification such as a credit card, driving licence, or passport.
Speaking in April, Minister for Digital and Creative Industries, Margot James said: “Adult content is currently far too easy for children to access online. The introduction of mandatory age-verification is a world-first, and we’ve taken the time to balance privacy concerns with the need to protect children from inappropriate content.
“We want the UK to be the safest place in the world to be online, and these new laws will help us achieve this.”
