Starting from November 12th, browsing pornographic sites in Italy will no longer be immediate. The Communications Regulatory Authority (AGCOM) has announced the introduction of a mandatory age verification system for all users who wish to access platforms with adult content. The official goal is simple: to prevent minors from viewing pornographic material online.
The mechanism, however, is anything but trivial. Users will in fact have to go through a “certified third party” – such as a bank, a telephone operator or an accredited company – who will verify the applicant’s age of majority. Once the check is completed, the institution will issue a code that will allow you to enter the desired site.
To reassure those who fear an invasion of their privacy, AGCOM has provided a “double anonymisation” system: porn sites will not be able to know the user’s identity, but only if he or she is an adult, while the third party will not know which portal the person intends to access. In practice, the two data never intersect. The measure, which affects around 50 platforms including Pornhub, XHamster and OnlyFans, will have to be applied every time you try to enter a site subject to verification. Anyone who does not respect the rules risks fines of up to 250,000 euros.
With this initiative, Italy follows in the wake of other countries in the European area such as France, where a similar system is already in force, and the United Kingdom, which has introduced a recognition method based on selfie or identity document. The impact, at least abroad, has been drastic: Pornhub reported a 77% drop in traffic from the UK after the rule came into force.
It remains to be seen how the Italian public will react. While the measure promises to protect minors, it raises questions about convenience, data security and actual effectiveness. And it is not excluded that, as has happened elsewhere, many users simply choose to move their browsing habits to other channels, or use a VPN to get around the limitation.