The Scam of Age Verification

Summary

What is AV and why it doesn't work “Age verification” (AV) is the requirement for online platforms to implement strict methods to verify the age of their users, in order to prevent minors from accessing adult content. By “strict,” we mean methods such as ID uploads, facial age estimation, credit card checks, or mobile operator verification. The allowed methods vary depending on the country. At face value, it may sound reasonable — even like a good idea. However, there are countless problems with it — many of which have been pointed out by credible observers, repeatedly. Note that there has never been any credible evidence that site-level AV works either (especially when done selectively, like it has), while there have been countless warnings and demonstrations that it doesn’t. Everywhere AV has been implemented, we’ve seen the same pattern: a handful of large porn sites are targeted (usually, us and Pornhub) — sometimes with a few token smaller sites — and that’s it. The one and only so-called “argument” in favor of AV is that it’s been used for gambling and other restricted services, so it could be applied to porn. But that comparison is dishonest: on a gambling or merchant site, users already expect to submit personal data — credit card info, name, phone number, address. They are paying for something.On a free site, users do not expect to hand over private data. They simply refuse — and move on to other sites. Why wouldn’t they? AV is instantly and effortlessly circumvented: porn remains accessible through search engines, social media, messaging apps, file-sharing (direct and peer-to-peer), VPNs, proxies, and an astronomical number of adult sites — it’s conservative to estimate there are over a million. Some users might even be tempted to turn to the dark web to escape this wave of state overreach — though we certainly don’t recommend it. Not only is porn still available from all these channels — but the largest, most obvious mainstream platforms that host or link...