Sites Like Pornhub And Brazzer To Require User's Name And Address

From April 2018 you will have to register with your name and address before you can access videos on several of the internet's biggest porn sites.

You'll have to create a username and password if you want to watch videos on sites like PornHub, RedTube, YouPorn, and Brazzers - all owned by porn giant MindGeek.

Admittedly, it still sounds easier than trying to get your hands on the one magazine that everyone one of your mates used to pass around after one of them found it in the forest (why was it always in the forest?).

However this means that you'll have to hand over some of your personal data to MindGeek before you can get on with the job at hand.

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This is because of the Digital Economy Act 2018 that will require porn sites to verify the age of the people visiting the site. The new rules will be upheld by the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) who also decide what age certificate films should have.

The idea of making the Internet a safer place for children probably appeals to most people, but the idea of handing your data over to companies that own porn sites is a concern for most.

This is particularly true for owners of porn sites not owned by MindGeek. They aren't happy that the law basically gives them a load of free data.

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Porn site owner Pandora Blake said at an Open Rights Group meeting in London last year: "You can imagine how much data that is going to give MindGeek, if they're going to have stats on what people click on, what porn sites people click on, what they pay for.

"Once you've got a MindGeek login, you're going to be giving them your entire web browsing history, because they're going to be able to track every time you log in to anything."

A lot of people are worried about hacking as well. Hackers are already using porn as a way to get private information and details from internet users. According to Internet Security firm Kaspersky, 300,000 porn-themed attacks took place last year.

Jim Killock, executive director of the privacy group Open Rights Group said: "The BBFC will struggle to ensure that Age Verification is safe, secure and anonymous. They are powerless to ensure people's privacy."

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However, MindGeek are confident that they will be able to keep porn viewers safe despite the restrictions.

A MindGeek spokesperson said: "We do not store any personal data entered during the age-verification process. Due to the encrypted nature of AgeID's login credentials, such data cannot be exposed in the unlikely event of a hack."

Topics: World News, UK News, Internet, Technology

Tom Wood

Tom Wood is a freelance journalist and LADbible contributor. He graduated from University of London with a BA in Philosophy before studying for a Masters in Journalism at the University of Salford. He has previously written for the M.E.N Group as well as working for several top professional sports clubs. Contact him on [email protected]

@TPWagwim