There has been a huge surge in Google searches about VPN’s, ever since the government announced plans to check ID’s for access to porn sites.
The ban on instant access to well-known porn sites such as Pornhub has been slammed by campaigners who fear it’s a privacy nightmare.
There are concerns that the age-verification system could present a juicy target for hackers looking for blackmail material or to steal personal data.
The scheme has now been delayed for six months by the government and they have apologised for their ‘mistake’. An investigation has now been launched after they failed to notify the EU about part of the plan.
Culture Secretary Jeremy Wright admitted plans would now be stalled again after the plan was initially due to be rolled out on July 15.
Labour called the fiasco “An utter shambles” and wanted assurances that user data would be safe from leaks or hacks.
It’s also unclear how effective the new system will be because users will be able to use a VPN to sidestep the restrictions.
VPN’s
Virtual Private Networks (VPN’s) allow users to potentially bypass UK registration policies for popular porn sites as they would appear to be in a different country.
Just last month, Google reported that searches for VPN’s tripled just after the government announced its new porn-blocking measures.
The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC), which classifies movies in the UK, will be the age verification regulator.
UK residents will need to prove they’re over 18 to access porn websites. The UK porn ID will be available in several ways, the least attractive of which is physically buying an over-the-counter-card they can buy from a shop or uploading ID documents online. At least 60,000 shops in Britain will be able to offer Age Verification cards.
The BBFC will look at the methods age verification systems use to verify people are 18, so for instance, a name and address wouldn’t be enough – but a scan of a driving licence or a credit card and CVV number would be OK.
Digital Minister Margot James MP has previously said. “Adult content is currently too easy to access online so introducing age verification is a world-leading step forward to give parents greater peace of mind and ensure commercial pornographic websites act responsibly.”
Personal data
The UK’s porn block would bring age-verifying ID checks, and this could expose people’s personal data alongside their sexual fantasies.
The system could in fact turn in to prime target for hackers looking for blackmail material or to steal personal data.
With an estimated 20 million UK adults being porn viewers — around two in every five adults — any privacy breaches could have wide-reaching consequences.
However, according to a YouGov poll over three-quarters of the country still don’t know the checks are being introduced. 76% of Brits remain unaware of the decision to bring in the legislative plans last July.
Once the age rating checks are in place, Brits looking to circumnavigate the new rules will be required to use a virtual private network (VPN) in order to convince the adult sites, they’re accessing the content from a different country.
The problem with age verification is simple: unless you buy a kind of porn pass in the local newsagent, which will apparently only work for a single device, it ties your real-world photo ID to the porn sites you visit.
This means that in some cases just the URL of a site may make it very clear what your sexual orientation is and what your sexual preferences are.
Privacy timebomb
The porn block will require all legal porn viewers to submit personal records to prove their age and is intended to keep children from viewing adult material online.
The proposed regulations to protect personal data has been slammed as inadequate, and some have called the porn block a ‘privacy timebomb’.
So, is it really any wonder that people have been seeking out information on VPN’s to get around these online checks?
Digital privacy watchdog the Open Rights Group, warns that the data protection regulations currently in place to protect users’ private data is ‘vague, imprecise and largely a “tick box” exercise.’
‘With one month until roll-out, the UK porn block is a privacy timebomb,’ a spokesperson for the Open Rights Group wrote in the report.
Open Rights Group executive director Jim Killock told the Independent:
“Due to the sensitive nature of age verification data, there needs to be a higher standard of protection than the baseline which is offered by data protection legislation,’”
Adding: “The BBFC’s standard is supposed to deliver this”.
So, is it really any wonder that people have been seeking out information on VPN’s to get around these online checks?
What is a VPN?
A VPN allows you to create a secure connection to another network over the Internet and can be used to access region-restricted websites, shield your browsing activity from prying eyes on public Wi-Fi, and more.
It will allow you to spoof your location, so you show up somewhere else in the world rather than your actual location. It’s a great way to watch the Netflix offerings in other countries
Originally, they were just a way to connect business networks together securely over the internet or allow you to access a business network from home.
VPNs essentially forward all your network traffic to the network, which is where the benefits – like accessing local network resources remotely and bypassing Internet censorship – all come from. Most operating systems have integrated VPN support.
A VPN connects your PC, smartphone, or tablet to another computer somewhere on the internet, and allows you to browse the internet using that computer’s internet connection. So, if that server is in a different country, it will appear as if you are coming from that country, and you can potentially access things that you couldn’t normally.
The downside is that some free services will collect your browsing data and sell it on to advertising and marketing companies, while more disturbingly malware was found in several free VPN packages which could have worse consequences than not using one at all.
The bottom line is that for the provider to give you a ‘free’ VPN it is going to have to recoup its costs. This will usually come down to using the data you provide in some way – which defeats the object of trying to protect your privacy in the first place! And, not surprisingly, some providers are much more secure than others.
5 Eyes
When talking about VPN’s, inevitably, someone will mention “Five Eyes”, “Nine Eyes.” or “14 Eyes”
If security is your main priority, you shouldn’t use a VPN that’s domiciled in one of the Five, Nine, or 14 Eyes countries. Nor should you connect to servers in one of those countries using a VPN provider from a non-14 Eyes member.
Five Eyes is a nickname for the United Kingdom–United States of America Agreement (UKUSA).
Despite the official name, UKUSA agreement consists of five countries. They are the UK, US, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. The deal has its origins in a World War II intelligence-sharing agreement between Britain and America.
Nine Eyes is another intelligence sharing agreement. It’s grown out of the original Five Eyes alliance. It includes all the Five Eyes members, plus Denmark, France, the Netherlands, and Norway.
The 14 Eyes agreement adds a further five countries to the list: Germany, Belgium, Italy, Spain, and Sweden.
Identification
You’ll have to upload some form of government ID — passport, driver’s license, etc. — or a credit card so your age can be verified. The check will cost somewhere between £5 to £10.
Getting around having a porn pass will be possible for tech savvy users (ie by using a VPN) and as there is a lot of porn out there, it will be a tough challenge to track it all down and block it.
There is also the risk that all the new pass regulations will do is prompt a resurgence in black-market DVDs.
