Policy background Online pornography
The 2015 Conservative Party Manifesto committed the government to measures to restrict access to harmful sexualised content online, by requiring age verification for access to all sites containing pornographic material. In February 2016 the government published Child Safety Online: Age Verification for Pornography, consulting on how to implement the commitment. The government believes that commercial providers of pornography (material designed primarily to cause sexual arousal and stimulation), should have age verification controls in place where it is accessed online in the United Kingdom. The Act introduces such a requirement and gives the Secretary of State the power to designate a regulator. The Act sets out the functions and powers of the regulator. These include powers to notify payment providers such as credit card companies of non-compliant sites to enable them to consider whether to withdraw services. Similarly, non-compliant sites may be notified to ancillary service providers. In addition, the regulator can require internet service providers to take steps to prevent access to offending material.