Ethical hackers have shown Sky News how new age verification systems can be bypassed on pornographic websites in a matter of seconds.
On Friday, toughened rules came into force that mean companies hosting adult content online must block under-18s using “highly effective age verification”.
That could include AI tools that use pictures to estimate someone’s age, bank or ID checks, or more technical solutions using browser cookies.
But hours later, two ethical hackers demonstrated just how simple it is to get around the measures designed to protect young people on the internet.
Using widely available technology, Chris Kubecka and Paula Popovici quickly accessed numerous pornography sites without ever verifying their ages.
Chris and Paula on the morning Ofcom’s rules got enforced
Their devices were running standard software, and the tricks they used were simple.
This, Ms Kubecka said, showed the systems will not be effective at stopping under-18s from accessing explicit content online.
The simplicity of their method was confirmed by multiple viewers, who contacted Sky News to say they had also managed to bypass the systems.
One viewer said it had taken him “less than 30 seconds”.
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Although Sky News has verified the methods used by Ms Kubecka and Ms Popovici, we won’t give details or name any software used.
Some of the explicit websites they checked had not turned on any age verification, despite declaring in June that they would.
In response to our findings, Ofcom said these checks “will help stop young children from stumbling across porn”.
The regulator added: “While the new rules have only been in place for a matter of hours, we will be actively assessing compliance to make sure platforms have age checks in place and that they are highly effective.
“Companies that fall short can expect to face enforcement action.”
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A spokesperson for the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology told Sky News: “We expect these laws to be robustly implemented by tech companies. If they fail to do so, the regulator is ready to take severe enforcement action, including tough fines.”
There is also a risk that age verification could push users towards more dangerous corners of the internet in search of pornography.
By 10am on Friday, data suggested an extra 66,000 internet users in the UK had begun using the dark web.
Ms Kubecka fears this number may only increase.
“That is one of the concerns that I have because I don’t want illegal or extreme content being normalised in our teens,” she said.
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Google Trends data shows searches for online tools to help people bypass age verification have surged, too.
Ofcom told Sky News it had been clear that sites “must not encourage or direct users to get around age checks”.
“People should be aware that children and adults who use [certain software] to bypass age checks will not benefit from the wider protections offered by our online safety rules.”
Despite those warnings, in the days running up to the rules being enforced, advertising data shows companies were targeting UK users and promoting tools that could bypass the verification.
“Platforms have clear legal obligations and must actively prevent children from circumventing safety measures, including blocking content that promotes … workarounds targeting young users.”
