U.K. Age-Verification System Takes Step Forward (XBIZ)

Read the full article by Rhett Pardon at XBIZ.com 

LONDON — A motion to approve draft legislation over U.K.’s age-verification regulations will be the top business at the House of Commons on Monday.

After one delay after another, final draft legislation under the Digital Economy Act will be moved forward for debate and likely approval.

Under the government’s plan, commercial adult sites will be forced to show they are verifying users are over 18. Failure to do so could block companies from taking credit card payments or even see their sites blocked by ISPs in the U.K.

With the new law ready to go into effect as early as spring, a cottage industry of age-verification companies, including companies like AVSecure, AgeID and numerous others, have started up to offer solutions as third parties to verify users’ ages.

Members of Parliament chose the BBFC — known formally as the British Board of Film Classification — to enforce statutes regarding accessibility to online content under the Digital Economy Act.

Stephen Winyard, AVSecure’s chief marketing officer, told XBIZ: “We are particularly pleased that the prime minister is set to approve the draft guidance for the age-verification law on Monday. From this, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport will issue the effective start date and that will be around Easter, as Lord Ashcroft and minister Margot James have already indicated.