Porn sites show users loopholes in new law

Watchdog admits curbs on adults-only content will be easily circumvented by tech-savvy youngsters

PORNOGRAPHIC websites are publicising loopholes in the ban on under-18 access as watchdogs admit they are powerless to stop tech-savvy teenagers circumventing the new restrictions.

The regulator acknowledged that virtual private networks (VPNS) would allow users to evade age verification checks from July 15.

These allow under-age users to create ghost accounts abroad that can access the porn sites.

Although most VPNS require payment, Mindgeek, the firm behind some of the world’s largest porn sites, has already released its own free VPN service, VPNHUB, which allows users to disguise their location.

Last year, it advertised the service with the claim that it would let the user “access all websites and apps securely and privately at home, school, work or from anywhere in the world”.

Although the description has been changed, VPN Hub boasts on Apple’s App Store that it can “mask your true location by routing your data through our full stack of global encrypted servers”. The app is available via Google and Apple stores, although Mindgeek claimed it would not be available in UK app stores without age verification once the ban came into effect.

Asked about the prospect of children using VPNS, the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC), the regulator, said age verification was no “silver bullet”. A spokesman added: “Determined teenagers will find ways to access pornography. However, it will mean children can no longer stumble across it on commercial pornographic websites.”

Experts also warned that anyone using VPNS risked exploitation of their personal data, as controls on privacy and commercial use tended to be lax. The Government estimates 1.4million children a month access porn sites.

From July 15, anyone who visits such a site from a British IP address will be asked for proof that they are over 18. Proof is obtained via third-party age verification firms or cards that can be bought in shops for £4.99. Some fear the cards or codes from age verification firms are likely to end up being traded.

The BBFC is to closely monitor messaging and social media sites such as Reddit, Tumblr and Flickr, which are not covered by the legislation but provide a potential route for under-age users to access porn to decide whether further regulation is needed.

With 5million porn sites worldwide, the BBFC admits it can only focus on the most popular sites that flout the law, leaving smaller operations open for tech-savvy younger users. Jim Killock, of the Open Rights Group, said he was worried about “torrent” filesharing sites, where people already download pirated films and porn. He said: “These are semi-criminal operations that flout the law because they don’t give a hoot. They are breaking the law anyway so they are not going to care about age verification.”

Myles Jackman, a lawyer and expert on pornography legislation, said: “The community that is supposed to be most protected are the most tech literate and will be able to circumvent these rules.”

The BBFC said it would report in a year on the effectiveness of the regime.