Pornography websites in UK will now have to check users' age using credit cards

Websites publishing pornographic content in the United Kingdon have been mandated to verify the users' age, the government said on Tuesday while unveiling its new online safety rules.

The Department for Digital, Media, Culture and Sport (DCMS) made the announcement to coincide with Safer Internet Day, as it seeks to prevent underage kids from accessing adult content.

Among the methods of age verification include asking a user to furnish their credit card details or confirm their age via a third-party service.

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Thewebsiteswho fail to act could be fined up to 10 per cent of their global turnover, the bill states.

The Online Safety Bill is expected to be introduced to parliament over the next few months and is designed to protect users from harmful content, reports the BBC.

“Parents deserve peace of mind that their children are protected online from seeing things no child should see,” digital economy minister Chris Philp said in a statement.

“We are now strengthening the Online Safety Bill so it applies to all porn sites to ensure we achieve our aim of making the internet a safer place for children,” he added.

The government said that the onus falls on the companies to decide themselves on how to comply with their new legal duty.

“Ofcom may recommend the use of a growing range of age verification technologies available for companies to use that minimise the handling of users’ data,” the government said, adding, “The bill does not mandate the use of specific solutions as it is vital that it is flexible to allow for innovation and the development and use of more effective technology in the future.”

(With inputs from agencies)