Porn Viewers in EU May Have to Prove Their Age

upstart writes:

Three of the world's biggest pornography sites have been told their users in the European Union may have to use age verification technology:

Pornhub, Xvideos and Stripchat face stricter regulations because they have been assessed as having at least 45 million monthly users in EU countries.

EU rules mean firms of that size have to take extra steps to protect children.

It says that could mean the sites introducing age checking tech.

"An example of efficient measures in this respect could be age verification tools, to prevent minors from accessing pornographic content," a spokesperson for the European Commission told the BBC.

The spokesperson said one "potential" solution for a person proving their age would be the upcoming European Digital Identity wallet.

"Once it enters into force, it will offer solutions for all EU citizens, residents, and businesses in the EU," they said.

"Citizens will be able to prove their identity and share electronic documents from their European Digital Identity wallets with the click of a button on their phone."

[...] EU Digital Commissioner Margrethe Vestager welcomed the companies' designation, saying it would "allow for higher scrutiny and accountability of their algorithms and processes".

"I have been very clear that creating a safer online environment for our children is an enforcement priority under the DSA," she added.

[...] These companies are the second batch of firms to be designated VLOPs [Very Large Online Platforms]. In April, an initial 19 tech giants - including Facebook, Google and YouTube - were told the new rules applied to them.

For that initial round of companies, the DSA came into effect in August.

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