Techpump signs with Gataca as Pornhub plays word games with Ofcom

Pornhub is not a pornography website, but a social media platform, legally speaking. That is the company’s view, at least, and the basis on which it says it does not have to meet a January deadline for age verification.

Instead of being “providers of pornographic content published or displayed on the service,” the company says the rules that apply to it are those for social media and search engines, since it publishes content provided by users.

The Age Verification Provider’s Association (AVPA) specifically warned Ofcom earlier in the year that this would happen, The Telegraph notes, but the regulator says websites must determine for themselves which section of the Online Safety Act applies to the them.

What form PornHub age verification will take is uncertain, as the company has blocked access from American states where it would have been obligated to implement age checks. Facial biometric age estimation and ID document uploads are among the options.  Whatever the site chooses is now expected to be introduced in July, along with age checks by other online service providers that fall under “part 3.”

Spanish site implements Gataca’s SSI wallet

A Spain-based pornography site operated by TechPump is the first in the country to implement age verification, according to an announcement from Gataca, which is supplying digital identity wallets to perform the verification.

Gataca’s digital identity wallet is offered for free to consumers, and enables them to prove their age without sharing their identity or date of birth. The company says this protects minors from access to potentially harmful content, while preserving the anonymity of users.

Gataca provides decentralized and self-sovereign identity (SSI) technologies, and launched its age verification solution targeted at the online adult content industry in September. Users are issued a credential stating that they are 18 or 21 years old, and another that corresponds with a verified identity document. The process is managed by Gataca, and the adult website is not involved until the age assurance check is performed.

The company says its digital ID wallet has been approved by the Spanish Data protection Agency (AEPD) for age data processing, and the age assurance method complies with the EU’s Digital Services Act.

Article Topics

AEPD  |  age verification  |  digital identity  |  digital wallets  |  Gataca  |  Ofcom  |  Online Safety Act  |  self-sovereign identity  |  Spain  |  UK